Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind
by GM Andy
Summary: Sequel, Dr Who & the Great Eclipse. The TimeWar left him shattered & alone. Experiments left her shattered & open. They are Sanguine. The 6 souls destined form a web unbroken. Trap? what Trap? Verity, 9, Simon, River, Riddick, Rose, plus. x-over Firefly
1. Part One Aggravation

**A/N**: _He didn't stay shut up very long… I swear, leaving the Doctor in pain is a bad idea._

Short Summary: Sequel to Dr Who and the Great Eclipse. The TimeWar left him shattered & alone. Experiments left her shattered & open. The tools for revenge also form a web that cannot be broken. 9th Dr, the Tam siblings, Riddick, plus. Dr Who Firefly Riddick crossover.

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbles into a situation he cannot ignore when the TARDIS lands him inside a ship that is clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in the past has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick cross-over.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part One

Aggravation

The TARDIS sat, rather innocently, in the Time Vortex. Nothing the Doctor did could force her to budge, and the one thing he tried that might have got him zapped for the effort. He made a face at her central column and watched the glowing crystalline pillar move. "All right then, maybe they do need more time to recover from the ordeal. I would just feel better if they were gone, is all." She was being rather silent, like it wasn't personal or anything but perhaps his stopgap measure hadn't been enough. Likely, it hadn't. The feeling of the molten lead brick still existed in his forehead. He knew River still felt like she had planes of fire bisecting her brain. But at least they couldn't pass this horror onto the others. He turned his attention back to the military files and watched the stream of untranslatable characters flicker past.

Sitting in the vortex was her way of refusing to allow the Time Lord pilot, _her Doctor_, the action of doing something that was really rather stupid. Now, the others on board had no idea what was going on, nor did they care that they could have arrived before they left even. But the Doctor, _her Time Lord_, had been contaminated with a substance of a unique sort that would, more than likely, cause him great harm once they exited the vortex. So delaying this was her top priority, beyond even getting the other survivors home. Without the bond she had with him she was doomed too.

The human guests could wait.

The harder part of this all was making him take the hints and do the proper research to fight the doomsday agent that flowed through the nervous system both in physical and psychic senses. She could see it, clear as crystal, attacking his green matter with a persistence that only a last ditch weapon could possess. No wonder he wasn't thinking clearly. But how to get him help when he was the last of his kind? Or – was he?

She scanned the others he had brought into her. There was _Amadak_, brought home again although he didn't realize it yet. Earth to Air, Fire to Water, Aether to Void. One, a girl, was infected just as her Doctor was. This meant that her twin, the boy, could be infected too. Only he wasn't. Ah. The agent was blocked from finding the physical connections it needed to move into him because the Doctor had thought to chemically block it. She tried leaving the hints for him then. Perhaps he'd see the solution. She hummed happily. Not so alone as to have lost everything, after all. Ancient connections forged between them might just be enough.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Richard watched the alien in the main control room; the Doctor slouched over as though the energy he had the day before was all but gone. The ex-ranger was sure that the man knew he was there, but perhaps not. The Time Lord was talking it that musical language; sounding like he was carrying on a conversation that was one sided yet complete. The semi-bright arc of power off the console spurned another verse of words.

He felt this – pull – in the center of his chest, like he was being tugged out of his shadows. Or urged, slightly by some unseen force. It wasn't that he didn't want to go. Rather, the silver-eyed man feared with he might do if he did go. He'd watched the gent shower, watched every move he made, the play of his muscles and tendons under his oh so smooth skin… And he'd been thankful unlike nothing else that he'd been wearing the goggles. And loose pants.

He'd been placated by a caress, a touch. Like it defused the lightning building between them. But it was still there, that tension. And he'd never been so compelled and so frightened in all his life. As he watched the flickering pages of characters scroll across the screen reflected on that chiseled face he could see the temperature rise on the man's skin. He wasn't fixed. Far from it. But how to help him? How to save him from this doomsday weapon that was burning him up inside?

The tug eased then increased. He moved forward, a slight whisper of his shoes on the metal floor the only indication of his approach. "Doctor?"

Music flowed from those lips that were too warm, looking almost pink in Riddick's vision, before he catches a word he recognizes, " – _Amadak_."

He's struck by the sudden desire to suck those musical words into his own soul, to exist off the other's breath, to give those lips a reason to be warm. "You're – hot – again," Rich says as he instead reaches to run a hand over the man's skull covered with baby soft, fine hair. He's only mildly surprised that the Doctor pauses his reading and leans into the touch slightly. He takes the moment to look at the untranslated characters. Like the spoken version, and their speaker, the characters strike him as beautiful. "I'm worried about you."

"Ah, well… I'm not going to lie, Richard."

"You said you could fix this." He doesn't move his hand away, instead lightly kneading the back of the man's neck, feeling the tingle build and wondering how long he's going to be satisfied with this level of touch.

Intense eyes study him as the Doctor turns his head. "And I can, given the time. Just like I could repair your eyes and restore your color vision, actually."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"Yes. You can handle the boys' chemistry lesson today. It shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Richard smiles, "Lucky for you, I liked chemistry." The wink he makes is not a flirt. No... _God, how is he going to handle this if he does have his eyes fixed and can ditch the goggles? _

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Simon glanced over at River who was slumped over in a plush armchair with some sort of game in her lap. Her brushed hair fell over the top of the strappy sundress she wore that was made of some soft floral lightweight fabric. She was intensely focused on the pale gray ball-like object, although he couldn't tell why she would be. The multi-sided shape seemed to have no interactive spots on it, no real point at all when he first saw it in the Doctor's hands. But the hairless gent had done some sort of demonstration to River that she understood, and now the item tinkled with soft lights and sounds as she 'played' it. Possibly it used psychic impulses to work. If so it was beyond his current ability.

One of her dainty bare feet wobbled in a rhythm that was odd. It took Simon a moment to realize that she was wiggling in time to what was the Doctor's pulse. He also concluded that he wouldn't have picked that up if it wasn't for the fact that he was studying the medical diagrams for the species that the Doctor belonged to. Now, he didn't fancy himself as an expert or anything, but if he was going to be around the gent, he had better know what he could and couldn't do in an emergency. Thus far he'd discovered that certain branches of human medicines were absolutely out. He scribbled down some notes to himself in shorthand on a tablet that the ship had provided him. He'd need to alter his emergency medical supply kit.

Behind him Ali and Jack walked in. "So, why do we gotta do school work, again?" Jack was asking.

"Because you do. Trust me, you'll find this interesting," Riddick said. "It's science, see. Once you have the theory down we can do some experiments in the lab that the Doctor set up for you."

"I liked the last chemistry lesson," Ali prodded Jack, "It was fun."

Jack rolled his eyes, "Because the Doctor is crazy that's why. Who else would make glowing, smoking, gelatin?"

"It tasted like fizzy bananas!"

Simon looked over at the boys with alarm; "You ate that?"

"It was harmless, Doc. Just be thankful the boys didn't serve it for desert last night," Rich sat the two children down with the lesson for the day and got them started on it.

"Harmless? It looked radioactive."

Riddick peered over Simon's shoulder at the diagrams he was looking at, "Nope, not more than normal anyhow. So, what are you looking up?"

"General procedures in case of emergency. I don't want to kill our host when I'm trying to mend something."

The goggled man nodded and focused on something with a frown, "Huh, extra ribs?"

"And double most of the internal organs that humans have, mostly it would seem as a backup for one set failing. But that's not the most intriguing thing, This is," Simon flipped to the previous diagram to show the unusual tri-helix, triplicate design that appears on the cellular level. "Certain standard drugs attack this structure. Willow bark, for instance, would kill him if he ingested it. Yet mercury would be no problem."

Riddick peered at the structure on the screen, "I've see that before, somewhere. I must've been quite young to not place it right away." His face morphs into frustrated puzzlement. "Something about this really bothers me." The bronze skinned man moves back, staring into the air, trying to grasp something that hovers just at the edge of his awareness. "What would happen if this structure was combined with human DNA?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, would it be possible? Or no?"

Simon frowns, "I haven't even looked." He turned back and searched through the database. "The species has a natural genetic ability to adapt to foreign genomes, and according to this can become or adopt any exterior appearance they desire within thirty-nine human hours of -- regeneration? I'll have to look _that_ up. But it appears that if they choose a human-dominant genome set then they could, if they wanted, produce viable offspring with humans, yes. Or any other species." He glanced over at Richard who had a faraway look on his face that was evident even with the goggles on, "You all right?"

" – Fine. Is this showing Male gender dominance?"

Dr. Tam looked back at the data and has to puzzle out what the other man has seen, "Err… Yes, I think so."

Richard laughs, "Not your field of expertise, I know. I wonder how the hell any species can survive with only a two percent chance of a girl being born is all."

"What?"

"Look, it's right there. If any of these genes on this sequence are off, even one, the outcome is male. And even if they are all right to be female the hormones the fetus is exposed to can't vary or the result is male. Biologically, then, the chances of a girl is just two percent."

Simon looked at where the finger was resting on the screen and read the data again, "Oh."

"Mr. Riddick? Can you help me, please?" Ali asked.

The large man rested a hand on the Tam scion's shoulder for a moment before he moved over to assist the boys with their study. It left the medical doctor wondering how a convict would know about genetics.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The redhead is sitting in the clinic/med lab on one of the beds. The Doctor is wiping his arm. "So you're saying that the shiv comes out after I'm clean?"

"Would you rather risk never walking again, William?"

"Of course not. But I can _feel_ it. Ya know? Like it's rubbing the bone raw. That's the reason I started on the morphine in the first place. How can I function like this?" He's clammy, shivering, flushed in the cheeks, and in pain.

The Doctor placed a hand on the man's forehead. "This is the price you pay, young man."

"I ain't no baby, Doc." The glare makes him blurt out, "Bob?" The look doesn't change, "Heh. Sorry. Doctor."

"I'm going to make you sick now." The smile the marshal got was chilling, "But it will speed the process. Day after tomorrow Simon will have the metal out and the scar will be noting but a small white line. Or you can suffer through this the old fashioned way."

Johns swallowed. He backed out now and Rich would give him hell, "I'm ready." He watched the needle slide into his arm with practiced ease, like the man had centuries of doing this behind him, "You sure you're not a _real_ doctor?"

"Oh, I studied a bit. Here and there. Nothing formal like Simon has under his belt though." He eases the redhead down on the bed and slides a bedpan over so he can reach it. "Relax, William. I'm not going to leave you alone to suffer. I'll be here with you."

Not that it makes the badge feel better about puking his guts up for the next few hours…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Carolyn and Imam are in the kitchen, as it's their turn to fix the meal, although the indications are that perhaps no one really minds making their own, the steady habits of eating together that they started on the planet seem to be something expected here inside the ship. "I don't think I've ever had fresh fruit when in space," the docking pilot says as she slices something that is about the size of her palm, covered with a fuzzy plum toned skin that reminds her of Kiwi fruit, even though the inside is more of a bright yellow than green. "His food stores are fantastic."

"I believe that this produce comes from his garden, Carolyn," says the Imam as he dices some deep bluish-green crunchy leaves for the salad he is preparing.

"Garden? This- wait, really?"

"Yes. I keep asking if it would be possible to take Jack and Ali there to show them some of the plants and insects. The Doctor told me that there's entire biosystems preserved in microclimates. I get the impression however, that he's not totally sure how to reach it."

"How can he not know that?"

"The TARDIS is a living thing, in and of itself. I would guess that if she feels that trouncing through the garden might disrupt something she might hide it." Abu slid the chopped 'greens' into the mixing bowl and reached for another vegetable.

She raised an eyebrow and checked the pasta boiling for the main course. "Amazing. You know, I think these are done." He checked them and nodded. She drained and tossed the handmade pasta with the sauce and garnish for them, finished with the fruit plate, and pulled the rolls out. "The only thing missing is hand churned butter."

"There is some in that cabinet." The dark skinned man pointed at it and then placed the salad on the table, "Should take the others all of a tick and a half to get here, I'd guess."

"Yeah, all but Bill. Poor guy."

True to prediction, the others began to filter in, Simon and River entering first, followed by Jack, Ali, and Richard. The Doctor came in right on the dot, behind the others. "William's sleeping, I placed him a purge isolation bath. You'll need to double check his vitals within the hour, Dr. Tam."

"He's not going to drown is he?"

"Heavens no. If I wanted to kill him there are much easier methods." The Doctor smirks at the dark haired man, "Besides it would be quite a waste now that we've almost gotten him to start acting human again."

"No more black," River says.

Simon looked over at her, "I noticed that too, the aura around marshal Johns has shifted to lighter tones."

"And once he's not in pain, I think you'll notice that his personality is slightly improved too," the ex-ranger adds, "but make no mistake, he's still gonna be a bastard. Billy's got a dark sense of humor and likes to laugh at his enemy's suffering. And he can be very cold blooded."

The docking pilot paused in her chewing, "I don't think any of us are expecting him to become a saint, Rich. No more than you would. But if he's off the hype then at least he won't go fucking things up."

"This is true, Carolyn." Riddick nods at her. "So, Doctor… you said something about undoing the damage I did to my eyes and restoring my color vision. I assume this will be after Johns is out of post-op?"

The Doctor pauses from pulling a roll apart, "Um… I need to scan your eyes and see exactly what was done. But there are several ways to undo it, and your eyes being restored to brown would ease suspicion about who you are. Although, I might not be able to totally erase the sheen in the back of retina." He then dips the part in his right hand into the sauce and pops it into his mouth. Still not good London-style Chips. He's going to have to make a stop there before the craving drives him up the wall.

"No big to me. I don't care if they stay silver. It just might be nice to see in color again." _It'd be nice to know what color your eyes are, Snail._


	2. Part Two Improvisation

**A/N**: _Here we go again! Wheee!  
Thank you to My Reflection, cassikat, mirth513, and BalrogsBreath (and a Story Alert, too) for the first reviews. Nice to see this as a "favorite story" on the first chapter, so thanks for that to Basia Orci and BalrogsBreath. Hello and thanks to Grim Sinistre Symer for placing this on Story Alert and __**Favorites Of Grim **__c2. And Hi to Chopingrl84, it's a joy to see you're still reading this (another Story Alert).  
I sure am glad to see you all. I got out the chapter I promised of the other story and no sooner than I did then the Doctor started hammering in my ear again. You know he's very persuasive when he wants to be.  
As for the TARDIS, one of the first things he told her was "Stop jumping about on your own or --" and… River's little doomsday trap was triggered when? So while the deaths were unfortunate, Fate had to be allowed to play her hand (and the TARDIS really wants to keep that new circuit).  
And Richard's smarts, both book and practical, are due to a little twist I'm adding to his background. It has to do with – nah, I'm not _telling_ you, there are clues scattered in the last act. Think about it. (I'll add background notes if you indicate that you need them. I've got like __**most**__ of the Doctor's existing stuff on tape (1 through 10, yeah… even the old black and whites), so I'm a big fan of the show…)  
Oh, I want to add that this will cover crossover turf, likely starting off in one area and ending up in another, and the 2x2, Hands of Blue fellas will make an appearance by the end of this act. _

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick cross-over.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Two

Improvisation

There was no Time here. Well there was a personal time, but there was no Time as in the thing that flowed one way through the rest of the universe. Making that distinction had been difficult. She understood it as similar to the concept of an item being bigger on the inside, that there was math that explained it. Unlike that concept however, this was far too complex for her to understand without a lifetime of intense study. So she just accepted it. Because she acknowledged the idea, it was one the first things that River Tam noticed once she woke up. It had taken her two sleep-cycles to grasp that, and now she was sitting up in bed, surrounded by things that were but were not hers, listening to the hum of the walls.

The ship, TARDIS, the golden Lady, liked her. It was aggrieved that she was in pain, whispering across her mind in a soothing fashion, giving her strength to push the ache away and function. It eased her mind, allowing her to feel things when she could cope with them, to warn her or teach her or habituate her to the sensations. The golden Lady did little without reason. Now Simon needed to learn and grow just as much as she did. They both needed a safe environment. She felt welcome here.

River's eyes were drawn again to the items in the room. One caught and held her attention more than any other. On her bedside table was a picture of a young woman with dark, short hair that framed her head and deep brown eyes the color of River's own, and an older man in a Victorian style suit with silver-white hair brushing his shoulders. She picked it up and looked at it. The woman's face she knew from an antique hologram that sat on the mantle in the dining room of the Tam estate. Her mother had told her that it was from Earth-that-Was and that it was priceless. Her name was Susan, Susan Campbell. And she was a distant ancestor on her mother's side.

Something about the old man with the sharp features and mischievous eyes standing behind Susan in the image was -- familiar -- too, although River had not been able to place it. She knew she'd not seen the man before, except perhaps in similar features of her great uncles. Her mother's family had very few girls although no one knew why. And her uncles and great uncles and so on, all really looked vastly different from each other, so the 'similar' wasn't really. But there was something that drew her back to that picture. Maybe it was the posture of the pair that spoke of deep affection across the generations, or maybe it was the protective nature she sensed about how Susan stood between the old man and the world in general.

She wished she could see auras in unmoving images.

She couldn't though, and it hurt too much if she thought too deeply about anything for a long period of time. She'd given up trying to find out why the Doctor's ship had a picture of someone from her family tree that just happened to be on her nightstand. Placing the picture back, she rubbed her temples to try to work the tension and pain away. The fire in her brain was still there, although when she concentrated she could submerge it and make it go away for a while. It was, at least, no longer in her body.

Then she noticed that the nightgown she was wearing was made of a fiber that flowed like worn cotton but felt like the softest of real leather chamois. It was a pale blue with tiny lavender flowers spilling across it and a touch of frills in the trim that was girlish without being garish. It kept her warm but not too warm.

And she should still be sleeping. Something had roused her, not that she'd been sleeping well in the first place. She closed her brown eyes and listened. Very light footfalls with a unique stride passed her door. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she forced the laser-like sweeps of hot back. The Doctor rarely slept. A short catnap often was enough for him. Although he was sleeping slightly more at the moment, and she knew that was her fault. The comforter came off her legs and she found herself yanking the door open, "Doctor?"

He paused about half way to the next door, but not looking like he was aiming for it, "_Mei-Mei_?"

The golden Lady herself was shielding now, far more effectively than the Doctor could, and the dark-haired young woman had realized how much of himself that the storm had given her with the time and effort he put forth on that planet. The difference was immense. The golden Lady was a different element, not opposing her, but it just wasn't the same. She ached for that feeling. Had it really been such a short time ago that he'd touched her? That their minds had brushed each other? It seemed like a lifetime ago. He'd given of himself so entirely and had asked for nothing in return.

And she had repaid him with agony beyond what anyone should ever be forced to endure.

Not that she had wanted to. She had tried to lock it away, to stay silent as the alien thing moved through her. She tried to warn him away, to control her body, to keep him safe, but nothing worked. She felt so hot, so parched, like rain had never fallen upon her and she needed it. Badly. She missed him terribly and was scared that he was gone from her forever. The distance seemed like it was too great to cross. How had they come to this point? Did he not want her anymore? Frozen, she stood looking at him, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She – _loved, needed, desired_ – and was so very sure that he'd reject her. A sob rose from her throat.

"Oh, child," It took him less time to close the distance then she thought it possibly could, "Why are you crying?" His arms came up to enfold her into his embrace.

Although what she truly wanted was not purely physical, she melted into him, noting that he was -- warm -- almost the same temperature as a human. Dangerously heated. She gripped him with a panicked strength fueled by her certainty that he was dying, "Hurt you."

_I won't do that to you beloved_. His voice caressed through her soul, _I am not going to die_.

_Don't make promises you can't keep_! She'd forgiven him about Suleiman, but she'd never forgive him if he died.

He closed his eyes and hugged her tighter, letting her clutch him like he was her support. "This was not your fault, child. I should have kept better tabs on --"

"Not yours either. I wanted to go. Didn't know what was there. Still don't know why."

He kissed her hair and tried not to join her in her tears. This, like everything else, _was_ his fault no matter what she might think. And he knew that to cure him and to kill the living energy-based infection, those around him would have to know the depths of his crimes and _forgive_ him of them. But could he forgive himself? He'd learned, rather late in the game, that the most valuable things were those intangibles that could slip through ones fingers like grains of sand. So much lost, and sometimes he wondered if the price had been worth it. "I can remove the rest of the fire, if you let me."

"Recount why? For what reason was I utilized to impair you?" she whispered into his brown jumper that was rapidly becoming wet and salty from her tears.

Well, no time like the present, he supposed. Considering the fact that the TARDIS was keeping them suspended in the vortex at the moment. He wasn't ready to face this. But – to cure her he would do anything she asked. If baring his soul was what she wanted he'd do it. Steering her into the main hall and toward the currently empty library, the Time Lord said quietly, "All right, I'll show you."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Simon found his sister and the Doctor in the book filled room when he came in from checking on William, post op. He was thrilled with the results of the operation, fully sure the man would make a clean recovery. He'd never had a better nurse than the TARDIS, and amazingly enough, Carolyn Fry. He'd sent her off to bed but was still far to awake himself to sleep. He looked at the pair and closed his mouth before he disturbed them. They were sitting across from each other in matching chairs, fingers entwined, stature still, intent in a way that locked out the rest of the universe.

This was different than anything he'd witnessed them doing before, like they were sharing something so deep, so profound, that it took everything they had to do it. The sight of their mingling aura was like watching the flow of a whirlpool, flashing blues and tones that all reminded him of water. It was so completely melded that he swore they had a single field instead of two. It was as intimate as walking in on a couple engaging in lovemaking. The reaction his body had was as if he were watching such intimacy too. He almost walked back out into the hallway as he fought away the heat pooling in his groin, hoping it would go elsewhere before he made a scene.

_Simon_?

The call froze him in his tracks. The sensation he was fighting flashed away with the reminder that this was his sister. The sound of her voice in his head alarmed him.

_Simon, he's dying. He needs us_.

A sharp vibration through the connection he shared with his _Mei-Mei_ jerked into him like a jolt of panic. Neither River nor the man across from her had moved, but he looked over the Doctor again, turning his medically trained eye on the gent. His normally even and fair complexion was tinged with a flush that was like cinnamon. He was barely breathing, but his lips were parted slightly and the color of them gave the impression that his body was trying to shed heat any way it could. As he stared at the form he realized that the Time Lord had gone through this in cycles, nearly every one hundred and eighty ticks, since they had entered his ship.

But Simon knew his medical scans would reveal nothing wrong.

He frowned. Was this the effect of the 'Doomsday Agent' that he'd been given the preventive for? Where had River encountered it? And why was it active now? Most importantly, how could he assist?

Almost instantly something passed from River to the Doctor. It looked like molten sludge, and he could feel the heat of it even from the doorway. His alarm rose exponentially with the vision, as the auras between them that had been flowing like water evenly and smoothly the moment before set to a fast boil as the Time Lord absorbed the thick, nearly solid, energy.

Simon rushed over, "_Lao tyen, boo_! What did you do?" He's speaking to both of them, not sure who to be more worried about. River blinks slowly like she's surfacing from a dream. "_Mei-Mei_?" The blue aura that surrounds her is the only thing maintaining the aura around the Time Lord as his boils away. The implications are dreadful. The man is dying, and River is keeping him alive through the force of her will alone.

_Burns. Everything burns_.

"River!" She holds tighter to the large hand that is unmoving in her own as if she fears he will pry her away. There is absolutely no way he's going to do that. He has no idea what it would do to her if he did. She continues to blink, ignoring him. He tries to force his own panic back. He's hearing his sister's mental words like she is yelling them across a chasm.

_Even you_.

The Tam scion is out of options, now, as his sister begins to cry silently. He'd hoped to never see those fat drops slide down her face again. He places his hand over the entwined ones closest to him and is plunged into a hell that he can't describe. The pain of it is like being buffeted by a wind from a blast furnace. Like the boiling is pushing him away. _No_! He thrusts himself into the center of it and forces the wind to switch. Where is the cool of the void?

His mind is filled with visions of burning on such a wide scale he can't comprehend it. _Planets, solar systems, stellar empires, galaxies_. All burning. He can't deny this, what he sees. He knows the truth of it even if it is more appalling than anything he could possibly imagine. There must be a reason for this. Such destruction just doesn't occur on whim. He feels the hot hand entwined with his sister's fingers instinctively seeking the feel of the man's fluttering pulse. _You can't go. Just show us why! We need you_.

There's a harsh thunder-like laugh, _How can you suffer me to exist_?

But before Simon can answer there is another voice, rich like gold, soothing and deep, _Snail?_

The emotional reaction is mixed, like a renewed hurricane, bitter and angry, yet so very loving, -- _Amadak?_

_He's right, you know. We do need you. Show us the reason for these actions_. The feeling of immediate crisis backs off slightly. _Show us what we have t'do to help you, Doctor. _

They see themselves, and the other survivors, and countless more worlds that are safe. The see beautiful vistas in space that are more so because someone has appreciated them. They see a small blue world and a number of faces that would not exist had he not made other places burn. They see a universe at peace, free to evolve the way it was meant to, instead of being directed along a path of uniformity.

They know now. Everything burns because the Doctor made it burn. He is the beginning and the end. If he is to continue then he must be accepted for what he is, what he does, for the role he plays. Otherwise he will continue to feed the parasitic doomsday energy and it will continue to eat away at him until there is nothing left. Without the anchor he provides the universe itself might unravel. But no one carries that much, or do they? For here, relying on them to save him, is the Last Lord of Time, and his power is innate. But it is an omnipotence he can never abuse, for the pain of his life is too great for him to forget.

As one they see that the path to save him is built of a box, the sides are their compassion, in whatever way they can give it. River has already constructed her side, flowing water to block the parasite from the soul of the Storm. Richard builds his as well, a sheet of crystalline metal to defuse and channel the stolen power back to its rightful source. Simon can't find fault with the man for making such hard choices. He finds that he can force the black slag energy back into the corner the other two make and keep it there. But three a box does not make. Above them is the golden Lady, fighting to keep the Storm strong. Below is the Void, too weak to destroy the invader, unable to pull it down and hold it there. They are enough to trap it, but not enough to eliminate it.

Simon blinks and finds that River has attached herself to his neck. The hairless gent looks tired, like he's been wrung through. Kneeling on the other side of him is Richard. Simon blinks at the man's silver-eyed gaze. The lights are low enough for the goggles to be off. His hand is firmly gripping the Doctor's wrist, skin to skin. The Tam scion can see the sparks dancing across the connection. "You are channeling the charge, the energy, I saw go into the Doctor. Is it going to harm you? Is it safe --" Simon babbles out.

River reaches up and puts her hand over his mouth. "Simon. That is what Earth does." He looks at her and knows she at least is cured. He won't rest until the Doctor is too.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Johns opened his eyes to see the face of one Richard B. Riddick staring at him. He swallowed. His sluggish mind slowly filled in the details about where he was. A tired voice comes from the foot of the bed, "Can you move your feet for me, Mr. Johns?" He looks over at Dr. Tam and wiggles both feet. "Good. Any pain?" He wrinkles his forehead and then indicates no. "That's promising." The bed is tilted up into a reclining position that is not quite sitting and a glass of something with a straw is moved to his lips. It's the hydrating solution the Doctor had given him before. Better than water, he was informed. He sips.

"Thought the Doctor would be here," it's a raw croak from his throat being torn to shit when he was trying to regurgitate his viscera, his voice is. That the stern man is not there worries him somewhat, for no reason other than the fact that the man had given his word to be there when it was over.

"Perhaps later. He was up most of the night. I've had a bit of a nap," Simon lies.

Billy raises an eyebrow and looks over at Richard, "I don't know, he's not been well, has he?"

"He's fine. You worry about yourself, Billy."

"Hey. What is with the short temper here, Rich?" Johns reaches for the man and pulls back from the glare. He wonders if he did something wrong now, to have upset them all.

But Dr. Tam seems fine, if a bit drained. He even smiles at him a bit. The raven-haired man moves a tray over; "Here's some food. It should settle on your stomach well."

Johns focuses on it, as the plate is surprisingly good for an easy to digest meal. "Why you two hiding that our host is having a problem?" Whatever the issue is he wants to know about it.

Riddick sits on the edge of his bed, "Because he's not, anymore. We solved it. Ok? Should be reaching Helion tomorrow. You should be back on your feet by then."

"You both look like shit, you know that?" William looks from one to the other, noticing that Riddick is wearing his 'nothing can touch me' face that usually means he's rolling in emotions that he don't want to share. Not even poking at him with a sharp pointy object is gonna get past that.

"Thanks." The ex-ranger stands up and moves over to the Tam scion drawing him to the far corner of the room, "Listen, I wanted to tell you --"

Simon shook his head, "I'm good, Richard. No one is at fault here except the bastards that cut into my sister. You want to help me, then help me bring them down." They locked gazes. _Just say the word_. Simon knew that they would all need to stand together to beat this. But like most boxes, they needed a few more sides.


	3. Part Three Misplaced

**A/N**: _Whoo! Reviews! Thanks to: Basia Orci, Robin Moto, mirth513, and My Reflection.  
And another Favorite Story listing! I'm honored, Robin Moto. :-)  
I hope I can keep up the – tension – between Riddick and the Doctor, because you know, neither one is overly sure about this funny co-dependency that has developed. They are both rather hooked though, and the TARDIS is not going to allow anything bad to happen to her Doctor.  
Yes, Susan is. So Yes, River and Simon are. But they have yet to make the connection. If this confuses you I'll put up a little background post in the__** TARDIS Parking**__ forum so as to not spoil everyone.  
Now… I've dropped strong hints about Survey teams, and messed up computers, and breeding experiments. I'll keep you wondering for a bit longer, but note that Furya and unnamed world (or Mordee Colony, depending on source) Sevateem was found on have interesting similarities. This story takes place, of course, 2500 plus years _before_ Leela's birth. But – could it be that Riddick was hidden in the past? Or is she a descendant of his? One is a red herring, but which one?  
And Jamie… Well—He was earthy, wasn't he? Kind of practical and smart, a bit like Leela, even.  
As for the Fire they seek… well, it's part of where they end up, what they do and… No, it is not Johns! (Snickers). It's not Fry either (But she is fire, so yes, good guess there).  
I'm dropping them out of the vortex. But—where are they? Meh. It sure don't look like Helion Prime to me._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Three

Misplaced

With the energy in her Doctor caged, at least to the point that it wouldn't kill him to materialize she decided to allow him to leave the time vortex. This was the tricky part. How to find a fire-child that would work with the unique conditions that existed within her Time Lord? They had to be strong but gentle. The fire needed to be hot, yet it couldn't burn too fast. No, what was required was someone with control, passion, and most of all the ability to embrace the very element they opposed.

Nearly an impossible set of conditions. Now that the parasite was held in check she knew that she needed help to destroy it. Back during the hight of the War this energy killed many. It had been difficult to fight even with all of of the resources that an entire planet of Time Lords brought to bare on it. But then, it was designed to attack when it sensed an active bond between time travelers. Many Time Lords shunned outside help that might have saved them. Her Doctor would not.

Someone could finally help him destroy it, she decided to land where she knew there might be a being to do just that. It was not her programmed location, nor her programmed time. But that mattered little. She simply hinted for one of the two little ones to make a few rotations on the dials and did some creative interpretation. The little Arabic lad darted back out the door, unaware that he'd helped her, as the older dark-skinned man called him to eat.

She needed to get this right within just a try or two. The more he was exposed to the materialization and dematerialization energy the higher the risk was that the parasite would break out of the half built box. And because she was the cause of this being active, she needed to find an individual that could hold her essence in order to destroy it. Finding such a rare creature would be nearly impossible. Finding a fire-child would be easier. But to locate one that would slot into what already existed without harming them? Not so easy.

Both of the current fire-children were unsuitable. So she looked for another, finding him in a very strange situation. _How dare they do this to one of the warriors that have fought to protect them? Little humans. Given so much and yet never happy. Well, we'll just have to fix this, won't we? _Even if he was unsuitable leaving him in his current condition was not acceptable.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Shortly after they broke fast in the morning an unusual sound tinkled through the kitchen. "Ah, that would be our signal that we've dropped back into normal space," said the pale man who had been nursing a cup of tea and ignoring the heaping plate of flat cakes that had been made because Jack and Ali begged for them. He casually rinsed out his cup and started for the door. Behind him the unhurried sounds of people eating continued.

"Hey, ain't you worried about – stuff?" Jack asked him.

"Stuff?" The Doctor turned back to look at the honey-haired child.

"Yeah, a lot of questions, whoever we run into," the boy speared a sausage, "Could even be a merc ship." He shrugged as if it was always a possibility, "What we gonna say about Riddick?" Some of the clatter stopped. Like always, Jack had a way of hitting the nail on the head in such a way to make it seem immediately dire.

Johns smirked, "Kid, we tell 'em Riddick died. End of story. No one is going to chase a ghost if I'm the one saying he's dead. Besides, weren't you taking us to Helion Prime?" He's having some sort of hot cereal instead of the rich breakfast the others are indulging in. His spoon waves a bit as he talks and ends up pointing at the Doctor before dipping back into his bowl. The space around him is cluttered with stuff, like his guild link, and his favorite pistol in pieces, and an old newspaper that he'd found some Funnies in that struck him as amusing. Somehow, he seemed to be doing four things at once, before he even started talking. The redhead off the hype seemed – hyped. How ironic was that?

The Time Lord leaned back against the doorframe with a raised eyebrow. For someone that had been higher than a kite, the marshal was a very keen eye. The man's now clear icy blue orbs was watching everything happen around him even as his body kept up constant movement in about five other directions at once. _Why was it that every redhead he met was hyper and annoying_? Hah, he was jealous. _Damn_. Maybe his next body would finally be ginger? He thrust the thought away, "I was. That doesn't mean that we have arrived there, however."

Another man got up from the table, rinsing his plate off, "Pardon me if I don't just trust you right away, Billy." Richard turned and looked at the group and then walked to the door where the Doctor was seemingly waiting for him. He knew this was how William J. Johns was, most times. A hectic, frantic, bundle of energy that somehow managed to make enough useful output that he'd never been 'fixed' through the use of drugs as a child. Now he just had to survive the man long enough to get rid of him. He didn't think killing him out of exasperation was going to be justifiable.

The redhead bobbed that off, "Never did before. Why should that change now, Rich?" He licked off the last of his cereal from his spoon in a way that was near obscene; deliberately focusing of the hairless gent paused in the doorway. Riddick clenched a fist and tried to ignore it. He couldn't kill the shit. He couldn't. Snail wouldn't approve. But god-damn-it, -- if Johns didn't stop with the flirting there'd be little to save his worthless hide for after he got done with it.

He glowered at the merc and got a sneer in return.

The docking pilot looks at the half-cleaned gun with irritation as she gets up. It is quite possible that the Doctor hadn't sat at the table because the gun was in his place setting. Ah well. She rinses her stuff off and says, "Well, let's see where we are." She heads out the door and the leather-clad man followed her. "You said 'back in normal space', what kind of drives does your ship use?"

As Fry and the Doctor headed down the hall, Riddick gave Billy one final glower and stepped out to follow. The Time Lord was telling the blonde; "Oh – well… it's advanced."

She nods, "Some sort of gravity drive then?"

The Doctor makes a face as Rich catches up and brushes against his coat with an arm, "Some sort. She's alive, remember?"

_Gonna kill the bastard_. Riddick lets a finger brush across the back cool hand as it swings into reach, but they don't actually grasp one another. It is just a slide of skin on skin.

_Who? William_? Their touch parted and then resumed as they walked.

_Who the fuck else? Didn't you notice_?

_Amadak, don't let him provoke you_. The cool hand caught his with a brief squeeze.

_Don't let – it wasn't me he was making eyes at_. Rich caught the door and let the Doctor pass him into the large pillared chamber beyond. The man had the humor to snort at him as he slipped into the room. _So you find it funny?_

_No. But he doesn't have a chance so why let it bother you? _

Why indeed? He has to admit that the Doctor's done nothing to encourage the merc's behavior. He shakes his head to clear out the residue of desire that centers on pounding Johns to a bloody pulp as he crosses to the central console behind the other two.

They find that the view is not space. Nor is it Helion Prime's vast sand and bright sky. Instead they are looking at a bulkhead that appears to have a multi-lingual 'Do Not Smoke' sign lit in a yellow light plastered on it. The Time Lord narrows his eyes. This can't be good. Fry is staring at the sign with a frown. He turns to look at the location and date and narrows his eyes even more. _Now, where did you drop us, old girl? And more important, when_? The time dial is sitting innocently between 2497 and 2503. _Back in time. Bugger_. The location readout indicated that they were about in the same spot they had been, on a cosmic scale. In the middle of nowhere, on the corner of 'danger' and 'take a look' was about right, he figured. _Lovely, just wonderful_. Hadn't he asked for a hundred-year break?

The TARDIS hummed at him, filling him with a teasing sense of, _Yes but how boring would __**that**__ be_?

_Oi, not so much. Nice cuppa, watch the rain fall, sit on the porch of my old house outside London and just enjoy the passage of time for a bit_. She laughed at him. "Bloody stubborn little – _monster_," he mumbled out loud. The ex-ranger makes a humored sound in the back of his throat at the words and then moves in to investigate what the Time Lord had seen to prompt the comment. At least Carolyn was too busy gaping at the view screen to notice. The TARDIS however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. The Doctor realized that he's come to welcome the feel of the animal presence that the bronze man oozes as Riddick steps up into his personal space to look over his shoulder.

The time does not escape the con's attention but the movement of the Doctor's hand directs him to the screen. A chill of recognition settles between them. Richard has tensed up slightly as he studies the image. Shortly thereafter the rest of the guests pile into the control room in a chattering mess that falls quiet at the sight of the bulkhead. "Careful what you wish for, Jack," says the goggled man to the kid that squeezes in to look at the image before Ali tugs him over a bit. "You turning into a psychic?"

"Nah, that would be River," the boy tosses back at him. Across the central pillar River just shrugged at the exchange.

Beside her the others are gathering around and looking at the scene. "Rychengoll, Kovan. High tech, expensive, possibly private?" Johns offers from the back. The ex-ranger nods at the assessment, not indicating that this is beyond 'high' tech if the date is correct that he's spotted.

"So, not Helion," says the blonde woman.

She's met with a chorus of, "No."

"Never been closer than Tangiers, myself," she shrugs.

Imam clears his throat, "How did we end up _inside_ another ship?"

The Doctor looks at him, scratches his own ear, and says, "The same way any other ship does, by landing." Of course they hadn't gotten _permission_. Riddick turns his attention to the controls and readings that indicate outside conditions. Somehow he knows which the many panels, gauges, dials, and screens he needs to study to glean that information he's after. Atmo, but no gravity. Fairly heavy methane content. They were near the cryo-recycling area where few people went. "Better question would be why?" the Time Lord said. She was prompting him to investigate, a little mental push, like a mother trying to get a shy child to explore a playground and meet other children. He was, in all fairness, fighting her.

But the occupants of the ship outer must have their own ideas. The gravity kicks in. "General maintenance, or, we've been discovered by internal sensors," William says. "Either way, we've been found. What you want to do, Doctor?"

_Dematerialize_? The hairless gent rubs the back of his neck and pokes at the button. Nothing happens. _Did you disconnect that wire again_? The ship does not respond to his query. Simon speaks up, "Could it be that there's a _reason_ we're here?" _Damn bloody brilliant minded lad_. The TARDIS tinkles across his mind at that with another laugh, flushing the Doctor with the sensation that she wants to keep the boy. _Of course you like him; he's siding with you_.

With a sigh he tugs the magic lever, giving in to her urging. The door opens, "All right, let's meet out hosts, shall we. Don't anyone go getting lost." The Doctor checks his pockets for his sonic screwdriver, psychic paper, TARDIS key, and yo-yo. Simon has switched from his large healer's bag to a smaller, bigger on the inside, hip kit. It was something of a gift that he'd found in his bedroom after he'd helped with the last crisis.

Johns slid to the front, gun out, "Better let me go first. 'Golls are nasty folk, and you don't wanna give them the impression that you have no defense." He looked at Riddick, "Want a gun?" The man shook his head. "Carolyn?" He offered her a pistol, holster, belt and all. She raised an eyebrow and took it. "You might not have formal training with 'im, Fry, but you have a natural ability. So make sure you're able to pull it fast." She puts it on, removes the gun from the holster and nods as she checks the safety.

"Do you think these individuals are pirates?" Asks the Imam.

"Private Mercs, or some rich weirdo with a thing for thrills, maybe. Too well kept to be pirates." Richard says.

Abu catches Jack and Ali, "You two stay with me, understood?" The boys give him serious nods, although Ali has smoke bombs hidden in his pockets from the last chemistry lesson. He'd never do such a thing except for Richard telling him he should keep them. Passing any to Jack with Imam watching them like a hawk is impossible though.

Richard, William, and Carolyn head out first, followed by the Doctor, Simon, River, Abu and the two boys. "Smells like _gos-se_," Jack mumbles.

"That would be methane, young man," the Time Lord tells him.

"He turns everything into a lesson, doesn't he?" Ali whispers to the other boy.

Jack nods to his friend, "Still smells like _gos-se_, though." Abu clears his throat at them. "Sorry Imam, I'll watch my language."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The internal sensors kicked in with an alarming bleat. Around the white coat-clad man the crew scurried to figure out why. The very tall, very pale, limber and sleek, second in command of the _Kubla Kahn_ watched the activity behind his reflective green tinted glasses. They were light-months away from anything that might be of interest, so what tripped the system?

"I'm picking up unusual energy readings in the maintenance area, Sir. Looks like it might be a malfunction near the recycling units."

Junner's angular face contorted into a frown, "Cross reference the readings and see if you can peg down what it is."

"Yes, Sir." The science station bank began to chatter like a bunch of Christmas displays. He kept on eye on the readings that were flashing past his own station in the middle of the room. The pattern is tri-waved, tri-part, tri-harmonized. He taps the screen with a long finger. Where has he seen that before? It is so unique that he's sure he would have to have encountered it in order for it to be so annoying familiar.

"Sir?" another crewmember called, "I'm picking up life signs, six adult, three fainter, possible juveniles. Enough that the auto-grav kicked in."

"Call the security commander and have his team meet me at the access port in five ticks. And keep looking up those readings." He spun on his heel and set off to deal with this little problem.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The section of the interior hull that they found themselves in was surprisingly clean for an area that no one would ever see unless something broke. It was all pipes and conduits, narrow twisting passages that led to various subsystems, hollow pillars and air ducts with an occasional ladder up or hatch down. Most of it was dimly lit with yellowish lights. But they were becoming aware that something was shifting the lighting around them as they walked, plunging the path behind back into darkness. "Think they are tracking us," Fry ventured as the lights came on around them when they turned a corner.

"Automatic feature," Riddick said, "But likely, yes, they are. Doctor, we really should eliminate the sensors."

The pale fellow looked thoughtful for a moment, "We'll lose gravity, lights and possibly life support. Not that lack of oxygen will cause me much harm, but it could prove a problem for you."

"We won't lose atmo. Too high a risk of methane fumes filtering out to the rest of the ship if this is depressurized. Stop trying to scare the kids, Doc." The look that Rich got made him smirk, "Bob."

The Time Lord rolled his eyes and set to work adjusting his gadget. Billy leaned over to the bronze skinned man; "Bob don't work for me." He'd tried flirting with the Doctor and gotten Riddick pissed off, although the pale gent hadn't seemed to notice the offer he was sending his way. So he knew that Rich was possessive/jealous over the other man's attentions even if it was slightly threatened by someone that might be a rival, just as much as the hairless man was of the reverse. "How you get him to tolerate that? I got a look that could have flayed me alive when I called him Doc."

The ex-ranger shrugged. There was no way he was going to tell Johns about the nickname exchange, bad enough he'd slipped and used Snail in the man's mind in front of the Tam siblings. He'd pay for that eventually, he figured.

"That's right – he's not _hot_ for you, no…" the redhead whispers into the goggled man's ear. If he could just get them snogging already.

"Shut it, Billy."

"You seen his bunk yet?"

"I said, shut it." Richard caught Johns and pushed the man back into some piping and held him there by his throat, "_Dong ma_?"

"Oh, tetchy," the merc suggestively wiggled his eyebrows.

Both the Doctor and Carolyn stepped in. One by putting a hand on the broad shoulder that was knotted up to the point that something could snap, most likely Johns' neck, and the other by saying, "Cut it out Bill. Just leave it alone." The ex-ranger's jaw worked a moment before he gave into the mental brush suggesting he take his hand off the rather thin neck.

"One of these days, Johns – You're gonna push me too far and no one is gonna be there to haul your ass out of the fire."

"You need a good lay."

"Johns!" Fry slapped him, "Stop it." He glared at her. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it was rude to poke your dick into other people's business? Leave them the fuck alone." Her eyes sparked in the low light like sapphires. God, she was beautiful.

He kissed her, full on the mouth, deeply. Now, why hadn't he seen this spark in her before? "I'm just trying to help them along."

"Uhgg. Get your paws _off_ me," She pushed him away. He smirked. She'd be a challenge. He loved a good challenge.

Riddick and the Doctor shared a look; _Can I kill 'im, now_?

_No_.

_You're no fun_.

"I'm tons of fun. There, sensors off." The leather-clad gent raised the screwdriver and let it trigger all the detection units to overload. They found themselves floating in the dark. "See?" Moments later the emergency backup lights kicked in casting them all into a greenish light.


	4. Part Four Stratagem

**A/N**: _Hello all! Thanks for the reviews to: My Reflection, Basia Orci, Robin Moto, OtherMeWriter, and BalrogsBreath.  
Thanks for the Story Alert/Favorite Story to OtherMeWriter. Welcome to Story Alert readers Sahalean and ChaosCarlos.  
Cast cutdown: yes, I plan on some of them surviving to reach Helion Prime. Some may die (lets hope not, but I must warn you that they are dealing with folks that have guns here so keep that in mind). By about midway through this story I envision Jack, Ali, Imam, Fry, and Johns parting from the others either catching another ship or being dropped off on Helion Prime.  
The TARDIS is certainly a character in my 'Verse. She's got a vested interest in keeping things flowing, you know, but she'll never be just a 'plot device'. I've got a doomsday parasite for that.  
Will this be Slash? Will this be 'Doctor mentors young folk'? Hey, why can't it be both? Or neither? Or… Excuse me, I'm rambling. **:-P**  
My current plan is to trust the Doctor and just write the story. Let's see where it goes.  
Leela was from the "far future" and the product of a breeding experiment that the 4th doctor started when he left the main computer of the settlement suffering from multi-personality/ god complex (when he blows it he does so in magnificent fashion). There were the Tesh (who had superior psychic abilities and gifts for mechanics) and the Sevateem (warriors of excellence). Leela pushed her way into the TARDIS, traveled with the 4th Doctor, and then left him for another Gallifreyan named Andred (she was the only non-Gallifreyan companion he ever took to Gallifrey, I do believe). Books develop her role on Gallifrey further. I'll post more in the forum.  
Yes this is going into Dark Fury. 'Course they got no skiff. I'm changing the beginning a bit to accommodate their arrival on the TARDIS. And there's another problem. They are off by a few years, so leaving on a shuttle is out, unless they all decide to start over somehow.  
Let's see how long it takes for them all to realize that they are about 17 years behind themselves, ok?_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Four

Stratagem

Pristine white halls faintly lit with ambient lights, glittering in reflective majesty passed nearly unseen as he ate up distance with his stride. The air he gave off was one of power, leadership, and loyalty. The hidden implants that connected him with the ship were a small price to pay for the rank in Kova society that he gained by having them. That his black hair was fake because of the alterations made to the surface of his scalp and brain was a minor drawback. He'd been able to choose the color, and would, in another eighteen months, be able to change the style if he wanted. Junner was considering perhaps something longer that he'd be able to pull into a ponytail or wear loose.

He was as good as married into the Chillingsworth clan, with as connected he was. His commander/sometimes lover/employer knew his location and biological state at all times. There was little he could hide from her. There was little he wanted to. His willingness to submit to her will and twisted urges had made him a rich man. His total devotion had turned him into a captive one. At least Antonia kept her favored toys in style.

Junner had worked very hard to attain his position with the owner of the _Kubla Khan_. He'd bent every way she demanded, jumped when she said, put his life in her hands, and took the punishment when she felt he deserved it. Without question. She'd rewarded him for that, taking him into her bed, lavishing him with the most advanced technology Kova produced, granting him rank and prestige.

He was young to have reached this post, second in command, and he knew it was his because of his hands on approach to dealing with anything that came into his sphere of influence. Like his mistress, when it was time to get his hands dirty he dove in with relish. And when he did a good job his reward was more than monetary. He knew that she was interested in anything unusual, particularly deviants to the human race. She did not believe that other intelligent life existed, choosing to see the variations in space as offshoots of the main human stock. If he disagreed with her, he did so in silence.

And he could call up examples that made him not so sure. Some of the beings she'd dealt with couldn't qualify as 'human'. The Shrill, for example, were an offshoot of Kova's Skaro-based allies. No matter what his Keeper thought, nothing that looked like an octopus with a rotating brain in the center of their transparent heads could be human. He doubted that they ever were. But Antonia placed little faith in genetics that indicated the race was completely inhuman and foreign.

And for that matter, their living enemies, the 'elementals' of Quintessa, might look human, but there was little way that they could still be human anymore. They had 'evolved' so far mentally that the element they resembled showed as they blended with it. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Aether, and Void… They thought with a different outlook, calling themselves the 'Children of the Red Guardian' and proclaiming that the only salvation for the universe was balance._ Right. Crazy nutters. Anti-religious freaks_. How entire planets of them managed to still exist he didn't know. If he had one wish he'd wish them gone.

Someday he'd be faced with the challenge of capturing one of each for the sake of his mistress's fetish. But he loved the reward for success.

His earpiece crackled before a voice informed him, "We've lost sensor contact with the lifeforms, Sir. However, the energy signature is keying in as Furyan, or Furyan based. It might be a weapon. You are advised to approach with caution. If it is the size that the levels of energy indicate it could take out the ship and a sector of space with it."

Now this was disturbing news. The Furyans were toppled almost thirteen years ago and the planet rendered lifeless five years after. Where would one of their devices have come from? "Are you suggesting that we've picked up a Furyan mine, crewman?" That must have been where he'd seen the pattern before. The war between Furya and a number of other worlds had spilled over and involved Kova for a while because no matter how Kova tried to stay out of it, various allies seemed to have a death wish that involved wiping out every Furyan in existence. And of course the brave foolhardy warriors that the Furyan animals were, they fought to the last child.

"That's the closest thing I've found, Sir. I'll continue to cross-reference." The voice crackled.

"Double check that there is no hull breach." He ordered.

"Sir that is going to require personal investigation. All the internal sensors are offline."

"Erect emergency shielding in the sector."

"Yes Sir."

The black haired man growled as he reached the portal. A crew of mercs waited his command. They were dressed in a mix of styles that were totally based on individual preference. The weapons they carried were ones that they chose. Antonia thought mercs did better with their own gear. That it saved her from buying them uniforms and equipment, was another matter all together. He disliked their lack of professionalism, as they slouched about until he was among them and glaring.

He opened the access port and watched the running lights activate, connecting him with the inner door where two of the more alert and worthy mercs waited. Junner scanned the group and then signaled them to fan out and follow him into the non-gravity area. His boots adjusted with the slightest of twitches of a hand to grip the metallic floor. The others wait a second before following him, the two most foolish, or most power hungry, stepping up to either side.

Guns for hire, guild mercs, every last one of the men and women at his beck and call. All armed to the teeth and prepared for a hard fight. Twenty-three of his 'best'. Of these, only a handful is female, about five of them. And likely they are tougher and meaner than the men are. They follow him up to their commanding officer and his first, a woman with an eye patch and a squinty-eyed man holding a the stub of a half-smoked cig in the corner of his mouth.

"Anything?" Junner asked them as he came to a stop.

The male guard answered, "No sir. No one's been in or out since I locked it down myself. Would have gone to Zero atmosphere, but for the methane leak."

"Why wasn't this leak reported and repaired?"

"I don't know, but I'll take care of the issue, Sir, so that it doesn't happen again."

For Junner this is enough. He trusts these two to handle something if they say they are going to. He looks out the viewing glass; the chamber beyond is a massive multi-story affair, filled with conduits and air ducts. "Increase pressure to ship standard," the dark-haired man in green shades ordered. Without a word the male merc turns to the controls and sets the scrubbers to work. Only the sounds of rustling clothing disrupt the silence for nearly five ticks. He focuses on not becoming antsy. Too much agitation would get him nothing.

"Methane brought into safe levels, Sir. Overall O-2 is thin, but breathable. Green for breach." The woman with the eye-patch says.

Nodding, Junner motioned to the others behind him, urging them out into the space, "Earn your keep." The portal opens and half of the mercs move out into the chamber, fanning out as they search for the cause of the disruption. "There are things out here, in the wild of space, that are far worse than," he snatches a floating bullet out of the air and glares at the clumsy clod who dropped it, "anyone here has ever encountered." He pauses to look at the bullet, "Should you survive this day, it is one you will remember for the rest of your life." Handing the ammo back to the man, he points out toward the others that are already searching, "Do not underestimate the importance of such a thing. Begin."

The second wave springs out and one calls out, "Low, left side. Lifesigns. Two hundred meters. Approaching."

The other mercs all train their weapons on the target indicated by the scanner's red laser square outline.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It hasn't been that long since they exited the TARDIS, but moving through the three-dimensional maze is hard work. Fry is behind Johns, and Riddick is behind her. The two Tams are just behind him, with River doing better than Simon is. The Doctor is helping Ali while Imam helps Jack. Ali would never admit that the experience scares him. But he's happy that the Time Lord is hanging back. The man makes this look easy, traveling without gravity.

The Doctor's mind has been chewing away at the name 'Rychengoll' ever since he heard it. He's got a bad feeling about why they are here. The allies of his enemies spilled out across time and space, and only those that were the most removed should have survived. But if these people are who he thinks they are, then perhaps the War is not as over as he might like. Instead it seems likely that it has changed from open warfare to hit and run jabs. Will he have to spend the rest of his lives fighting an unseen opponent? Or in the end did Kova abandon their secret masters? Perhaps this is what he has come here to discover.

The keen senses of a trained Time Lord have nothing on the wild talent of River Tam, with his being as distracted as he is. She's floating along behind Richard and in front of her brother, as the push themselves from one obstruction to another. "Wait!"

Johns comes to a halt and catches Fry before she can go past him, "What is it?"

"Danger," she replies as if she means to say '_What do you think I'm telling you to wait for, stupid, Santa Claus_?'

Now the reactions to this range from eye-rolls to going to high alert to looking for something that might be of use in the unknown situation. While Johns knows his was a stupid question he was kind of hoping she'd say more than just 'danger' like who, how many, how far, what they got to kill them with… useful things to know, really. But then the girl isn't a camera, but a reader. She might pick up intent to kill up ahead and not be able to pick out individuals.

This forces the Time Lord's attention back to the now. His eyes scan the situation and land on the fire foam. Then he notices that Rich is smirking at him. He returns the grin and gives a very slight nod. Together they push off to the pillar where the canisters innocently hang. Those look promising. Sensors are likely heat-based, if his guess about shared technology is correct, so the foam would work quite well as an effective block. And if the cylinders go _boom_, so much the better.

The redhead watches as the bronze-skinned man and the slightly taller gent behind him both home in on the fire foam containers dangling from a support post. Amazing, really. They don't even need to speak to each other, just going for the same plan like it's a given, not even asking what sort of danger that the slight raven-haired girl senses. Then again, he's noticed that they work in concert with the Tam kids too. He thinks it's kinky.

"What you gonna do?" Jack asks, all full of curiosity.

Riddick and the Doctor get the canisters down and the goggled man says, "Block their handheld sensors, hopefully. Any idea how many there are, River?"

"Two dozen. Plus. Waiting. With guns," she says.

Ok, that theory was wrong. Johns makes a face at the wispy lass dressed in combat boots and bike shorts with a dress over the top. He's going to have to learn to be more specific with his questions or she'll make him look like he has the intelligence of a flea. Then again from what little he remembers of her math skills it's quite possible in comparison that he _does_ have the intelligence of a microscopic insect. The marshal sighs. Then Jack starts talking and draws his attention away from the brain difference between himself and the genius level of the Tams.

"I don't think fire foam is gonna do much against bullets, Riddick," the boy says.

"You'd be surprised, kid." Johns lets off a little laugh. "Rich can do a great deal with things you've never thought of. Just keep the boys with you, Imam, and stick close. Fry, keep a guard on them."

Carolyn gives Bill an expression of exasperation.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Twenty meters, Sir," calls the merc with his target pinned to the opening that the 'invaders' had to exit out of.

Junner pulled up his audio enhancer, making his voice louder, "Unidentified party, state your intent and affiliation." His form is held rigid by nervous tension. They should be close enough to hear him. He better not have to repeat himself, because he hates having to repeat himself. He is greeted with silence that makes him have to force the anger down, "Unidentified party! State your intent and affiliation."

"I've lost them, Sir. The readings just -- disappeared."

Junner growls.

Then a quite reasonable voice comes from the shadows, "Pardon, if you please, but could you identify yourselves first?"

Something about that request comes across as totally sensible, and rather in spite of himself Junner replies, "You are on the _Kubla Kahn_, private flagship of Antonia Chillingsworth. I am Junner, Second in Command. And you are?"

"Oh, I'm the Doctor," answered the voice with just a touch of humor.

The black haired man turned his attention to the station next to the door and set up a voice pattern match request. "And what brings you to this lonely corner of space, Doctor?" He needs to keep his unseen opponent talking, as the program is not coming up with anything. He's met with silence, and a baffled program that does not match this voice with anyone on record across the entire Six Colonies. "Doctor?" Now that bothers him, this notion that there are Six Colonies when he knows only four still exist. Well, such is tradition. Earth of course was the First Colony, then came Blue Sun, Kova, Fur -- Why is he so distracted today? He forces himself to focus and get back on track.

"Just passing through. I'm sensing that you don't operate under the dictates of universal hospitality standards, seeing as you have twenty-five rather lethal guns of various calibers trained on where you believe I am."

_What_? The lean man shakes his head, "How is it that you are 'passing through' the ship while we are in deep space?" The voice identification program is picking up indications that the recording and the language he's hearing do not match. The patterns are vastly different than the words he's hearing being spoken. To him it sounds like native Kovan. The patterns are indicating that it's Old Earth English Standard.

"Oh, I think you might already know that. How are your allies, the Austeres of Asylum? Um, wait that might be a few generations back."

At that, Junner senses his mistress approach. It was unusual for her to take direct interest in something that didn't carry a million UD price tag. She scans his attempt and places a slight hand over his own, moving it to gain access to the controls of the station. He glances at her. The beautiful face, ageless in it's perfection, gives him a smirk as she taps her bypass code into the system. He cocks an eyebrow. She flirts. The historical information about the 'Austeres of Asylum' flits to the surface. A dead world for the last two hundred and fifty years, he gleans, one of the original six colonies of humans. But there's something she knows. He can see in her emerald eyes. It is as though she's closing in on a delicate prize that has just fallen into her lap.

"Did you call yourself 'Doctor'?" she calls out. Her voice is like a clear bell, articulating the words in Old English Standard perfectly. Her graceful movements belay the monstrous strength she can call upon in the event that she is threatened. Implants snake like adornments across her skin. She knows every inch of her ship with the affinity of long time paramours. It is her will that keeps every surface spotless. Antonia Chillingsworth believes, totally, in her own perfection, and her own righteousness.

The voice does not answer, but the elegant fingers already have moved to pull up another profile. The language on the screen is not one Junner knows by heart. He's only slightly proficient in it, having learned the basics if the complex format like all Kovan children must do. But he knows the words for 'greatest enemy.' A multitude of faces twinkle past him, blending from one to the other, as if to indicate that they are the same individual. He makes a face of confusion. His mistress taps another button that translates the characters into Kovan.

This creature they are facing is something so rare and dangerous that entire empires quake in their boots over the mere mention of his name. But not Antonia. No. She quivers for another reason. "Destroyer of Worlds? Should I call you _Ka Faraq Gatri_ or _Karshtakavaar_?" Her voice purrs out the foreign words like a lover's caress, Lust evident in every letter. Like a spider with a fly in its web. "Oh yes, I know who you are,_ -- Doctor_."

This is someone she wants for her collection; someone who would be the shinning capstone of it. The white haired, green-eyed woman gives her second a significant look full of meaning. It promises to be an interesting time if he can give her what she fancies. He aims to deliver. Oh yes he does. "Bring them in," Junner orders.


	5. Part Five Diversion

**A/N**: _Um. Reviewers: Thanking you! (To quote an unused line from Pitch Black).  
And also for the Favorite Story/Story Alert by Chibi of Many Names. **:-)**  
Robin Moto and Chibi of Many Names, your questions are related. According to Riddick Mythos there were four main colonies of Humans apart from Earth: Asylum, Kova, Furya, and Quintessa. I've added Blue Sun to this. Along with Earth that makes six elder worlds. "Amadak" is a term from the Riddick Mythos found in connection with Furya and Aquila (one of the newer 'empire worlds' with a number of colonies of its own). Why does the Doctor use this term for Richard B. Riddick? It has to do with the con's background, and will be revealed in time.  
OtherMeWriter and My Reflection how right you are, the Doctor doesn't like her plans one bit. But Antonia doesn't know that yet. The Doctor knows that Chillingsworth knows that he knows, she knows… Wait. Hehe. Someone is the fly and someone is the spider, but who really is who here? How long will it take for the others with the Doctor to drag the connections out of him? Can they? I think you'll just have to read on to find out.  
Please notice that there are quite a lot of double triads going on here… To match this pattern I've added "Void" to the elemental listing. Perhaps it's a Gallifreyan truth that others don't realize?_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Five

Diversion

"_Destroyer of Worlds? Should I call you _Ka Faraq Gatri_ or _Karshtakavaar_? Oh yes, I know who you are, -- _Doctor."

It was like a blow to the gut, and the Time Lord didn't know if he should sag from the smug tone in that crystal clear voice or if he should rage at it. Mocking him was a very dangerous thing to do. He was getting looks from those around him, ranging from 'what the fuck is she babbling about?' to complete shock of recognition. It was River Tam's hand sliding into his own that finally got him to blink. He'd been standing there like he was frozen long enough to make all of them realize exactly how alien he was. As if they didn't already know that.

Imam was one of those few that knew of the legends about _Ka Faraq Gatri_. In vivid detail and myriad variations from culture after culture. Helion Prime accepted refugees from all over, many of which brought their own legends with them. Those tales all had elements alike. They spoke of a creature that was like a chameleon, an ever-changing dragon that ate up worlds and systems whole. The first stories told to him about this monster by his forefathers was a warning of what happened to bad little boys who defied God. But to hear the Doctor, the kind and wonderful Doctor, called this and to witness the man's all too telling reaction filled him with a stabbing pain as if his heart was about to be ripped out of his chest. Could it be that in the center of the fable was a grain of the truth? And could it be this man? He gripped the two boys by the shoulders and tried to tell Jack to not ask the questions bubbling out of him at the current moment. For once the boy seemed to understand.

The Tam scion was well educated. Extensively educated, even. Both he and his sister had access to vast libraries that covered the range of human experience going back to ancient times of Earth-that-Was. _Karshtakavaar_, but of course. It all fit. The visions, the terms River used for the Doctor, his hard choices… yes. He'd never felt safer. He'd never been surer of his decision to take sides with this man to keep him alive. It went beyond saving his sister. For he was a destroyer, yes… but that which he eradicated was pure evil.

Simon looked as if the words didn't surprise him, not nearly as much as it should have, had the lad been clueless. And River too, appeared as though this was expected. She seemed to be providing support for the stern man, their equally pale hands entwined as if it were the most natural thing. Riddick had a blank face. Johns knew that it meant he understood what the babble was about in intimate detail, likely. The marshal looked at Fry who was bewildered as much as he was and then turned to Imam, "Come on, out with it. Spill what you know, Father."

"Bring them in." floated past the foam blocking the passage and ceiling.

"Now is not the time, Billy. We got us a fight to take care of," Riddick told him.

Johns added his scope to his gun. "Point me to the target, Richie. Let's take 'em down."

The first 'target' is a cluster of fire foam canisters sitting just at the edge of the shadows, beyond the wall of foam. Jack had volunteered to scoot them out there, covered with foam and holding onto the Doctor's yo-yo string. Riddick stretched himself out and lined up William's scope, before carefully moving back through the no-gravity environment to take the marshal's feet. He'd absorb the recoil from the blast so that Johns didn't give them away. "Can you see it?"

"Yep, lined up right under the green light. Good job on placement, Jack," the redhead replied. The honey haired kid beamed in pride at the compliment. The marshal went stature-still as his military training kicked in. Now they just had to wait until the first of the mercs moved into range.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The first half of the foremost wave, about six mercs total, moved forward and down, aiming for the red laser target. The one to get the prize would be well rewarded. How much trouble could these smucks really be, with three of them being children? Behind them another eleven men moved into place between the ship's owner and the possible confrontation. Honored rear guard, for the most part. Little did the thirty-six mercs know that this fight was going to be very pernicious. Junner took his place next to his mistress just in case he needed to step into the line of fire. Antonia smiled at him like a cat with cream. She loved violence, the bloodier the better. Win or win… she had hundreds waiting in the wings and could keep up the onslaught for hours if necessary.

They watched as the first six touch down in the outlined square and merge into the shadows of the green emergency lights. _BOOM_, _**BOOM**_, _**BOOM**_! The fizzing brownish tan-gray that overflows from the passage literally mushrooms out carrying the six mercs with it. Screams of alarm fill the air. The shock wave blows back the other six waiting behind the first, as they boil under the expanding solid 'cloud'. Gradually the substance calms and settles into a sphere floating in the zero gravity chamber. One of the six that has popped the surface pulls a blob of the stuff off his head. He grunts and sniffs the odd tan-gray stuff, "Extinguishing foam?"

The second-in-command suddenly knows how the sensors have been fooled. Alarm spreads through him. This is a trap, and these intruders are not just easy targets, "Fall back! Everyone fall back!"

Those closest to him begin to tighten ranks, hustling away from the sphere. The six caught inside it move to swim away. But this is not water and they have little to push against. One breaks free, but the fellow right next to him falls back inside with a terrified yell as if yanked by a shark. True to expectations, the foam began changing from grayish tan to deep ruby red. First in one spot then in another as something buzzes through the foam and sends a merc on the edge of the room flying in a tumble against the far wall which reveals a blood splat after the stunned man bounces off of it.

Their quarry has guns. The remaining mercs each try to adjust their tactic to cope with the new intel, looking for cover that might deflect bullets. A large bronze hand catches another of the six originally caught in the trap by the belt and tugs him back inside the foam. There's a gurgling screech that marks the spread of his sanguine fluid. Two of the female crack shots off to Junner's right sight in on the location and wait for a reappearance. He swallows, then narrows his eyes, "He has to breathe sometime."

Beside him Antonia calls in another dozen as backup. Her hand on Junner's wrist is enough to tell him that when this is over he'll be making a call to her rooms. Tonight, reward and punishment will be delivered together. Below him the fight takes on another dimension as a face appears in the foam and one of the mercs opens fire on it, not realizing that he's shooting on one of the remaining original six to be trapped inside the bubble. The body breaking free due to the recoil of the blast, trailing drops of blood, is enough to make the others pause. In as many seconds Junner has lost five men, and one is missing. Beside him, his mistress is flushed with the thrill of it. Death of others makes her so very excited. He pushes down his horror and prepares to do her bidding, sending as many to their destruction as it requires capturing this creature and his minions for her.

The voice of the Doctor comes out of the shadows, behind the set-off trap, "That was just a little taste. Are you willing to incur my wrath?"

Tinkling laugher fills the chamber, "This is my game, _Doctor_. These men, they die for me as I please, knowing that whoever survives will be richer than they could ever dream. You underestimate the power of greed."

"Be that may, Madam. But make me angry and you'll wish you'd never heard of me."

Antonia lifts her head, eyes flashing, "We'll see." She motions for the waiting mercs press on. "There's only eight of you, I can bring to bare a hundred times that."

The response she gets is the body of the last original six pushed out of the foam downward, with the head flinging toward her. It hits the wall above the portal with a splat and bounces off. The dozen guns-for-hire closest to it flinch away at the unspoken message.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Doctor closes his eyes as Richard follows his signal to slit the merc's throat and toss the body aside like garbage. The burn of the War flows hot and close to the surface still, fueling the storm that rages inside him. With the parasite contained, his renewed energy threatens to burst out and wipe all of this, everything, away, from time and space. It's such an enthralling prospect, but he won't risk his charges like that. He can't keep them from fighting, but he will not cause them harm.

Riddick moves like he's hardened to the death, as if he consumes it like a drug. He's at one with the storm in intent. If this bitch wants to throw eight hundred lives at him, or eight thousand even, he'll take them all. He's perched on the edge of the floor, in a crouch, with his shiv, bloodied and ready. Next to him lies Johns; his scope trained on the mercs with the better guns, the clear crack shots. Just like old times. He'll go low; Johns will pick off high. They are just waiting for the signal.

Eyes blazing,_ Karshtakavaar_ pulls his sonic screwdriver and alters some settings. He cannot jam the weapons for fear that he'd get William and Carolyn as well, but if Antonia wants to play hardball, he'll give her something equal to his own pain. "You forget, I've _earned_ my name." And with that, the assassin, the killer, and the destroyer set to what they do best.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The first sign that perhaps this is more than a fair fight comes when carefully aimed bullets begin flying through the cover of the foam, expertly picking off the best shots on the field. They can't see their assailant, but he can see them. It seems to be at random, but each is a headshot, not wasting ammo. In rapid succession one, two, three – pause – four, five, six and one right in front of Chillingsworth for good measure fall in a spray of brains and blood. The other mercs, surprised by the sudden pops of heads across the maintenance bay, begin shooting back, although they have no lock or target.

It's during the pause that the bronze and black blur emerges from the foam, cutting into the two closest mercenaries that might have actually had a chance of seeing Johns. His momentum is directed by the strong neckbreaking kick he delivers to a third unlucky individual. He alights on a bit of duct work and gains cover from the few bullets that manage to find his direction. The stop is barely a tick as he aims for the two women that Johns did not eliminate, neatly slicing one's throat, and turning her gun on her partner. He then uses the stock of the weapon to break an approaching merc's jaw before snapping his neck with the second blow.

By the time the others notice that he's there, Riddick has cut another man open to spill his guts into the air where they float like ropes, and strangle the next with them by wrapping the entrails around a throat and pushing the pair in opposite directions. He then stabs a fellow flying at him in the ribs and twists to use him as a block against another that tries to pick him off with a gun. That individual's head explodes indicating that the knife fighter is not alone.

"_You_ certainly know how to make an entrance," Junner says.

The goggled man glances his way, giving him a chilling grin, ducks another gun-for-hire's attempt to hit him with a blunt weapon and pushes off after a merc he sees as more dangerous. The man with the club twists to follow and screams as his hand disappears in haze of red blood drops._ That came from another direction_. A second shot hits the man in the chest and he goes limp._ How many of these people have guns_?

Meanwhile the knife fighter has trounced another nest of mercs chopping through a group of four like they are untrained and green. But Junner has another problem when his mistress screams like a banshee. He has to catch her and quickly turn off the implants. His own catch a buzz of the pain but immediately adjust to counter it. "Mistress?"

The personal attack has made her more determined, not less, "I want him, now!"

They have twenty-one men left, and more arriving soon. Screams indicate that the numbers drop to eighteen within the span of a few seconds. He nods at her and turns his attention on removing the fire foam by setting the atmosphere to motion. While he's at it he directs the incoming squad of mercs to go into a different access port and come up from behind. Time to stop using brute force and start using his brain.

The cover slowly drifts away as the atmosphere scrubbers come back on, and Johns finds himself scurrying back into the shadows, with Fry providing cover fire.

"Ah, there you are," says the very tall, lanky man in a white coat with nearly the same complexion. "It looks like you are running out of cover. I've got more men coming up behind you, so you might as well give up now."

"Oh, I don't think so," comes the call back. It's the other male, not the Doctor. Junner finds himself ducking an well-aimed bullet.

"It seems, Doctor, that you have inspired loyalty."

A child dodges forward into the greenish light and pitches a thick sooty smoke bomb out into the air, "That is nothing, scarecrow! They are going to kick your behind so hard --" Something cuts the Arabic boy off. The smoky particles seem resistant to the scrubbers, being spit back out unlike the foam. There must be something that will make them stop. Antonia changes the filtering action of the atmospheric scrubbers and gives Junner a push.

Junner quirks an eyebrow at her. Of course, taking one of the children might make them stop fighting. But not the boy. The crew coming up from the back is using containment weapons, nets and energy fields, to drive the group out into the main bay. Mercs scream around him as the goggled warrior continues to kill them without mercy. The redhead with the scope knocks off several, both in the dozen behind and the remaining few that the knife fighter has failed to reach. The eight are slowly pushed out into the light by the building layers of nets.

Then he sees her, the dark-haired girl. Junner has his target. The weak spot. He pushes off and knocks the slim teen away from the others, sending her to the floor a level below and pinning her there with a booted foot on her arm. The lad that must be her brother yells, "River!" The girl screams in surprise as she hits the floor and puts up the one hand that she can raise. Junner levels his weapon at her forehead, pressing the knifepoint into her skin.

"I think not, little boy." The second in command says. He looks over the group and focuses on the tall, pale, alien looking fellow, "What do you say, Doctor?" The cold dark blue eyes are trained on him, Junner knows. He's watching out of the corner of his eye. Just a moment later the other ten mercs take away the guns from the blonde woman and the redhead when the leather-clad man nods to them. Left then is the knife fighter, who has the very last of the frontal group mercs pinned by the neck to the floor, with his shiv at the ready.

Antonia steps out and stares at the situation, "Get your little savage under control, _Ka Faraq Gatri_, or I'll have Junner kill the girl." There are fifty bodies floating through the space, quite a body count for three fighters, she has to admit. And she has a feeling that her assoicate being pinned to the floor is not going to make it out of this alive. She signals in another two dozen mercs, now that the ten plus Junner seem to have the majority subdued.

The bronze-skinned man looks back at the man that she's identified as the Doctor with a swift turn of the head. The merc under his bulk hits feebly against his steel-cable like muscled arm. He gets no visible response, but his posture changes, like he's pissed off now, "Call off your lap dog, before his trying to impress you gets him killed."

"Amadak." It's only one word, but it's enough to change everything. Riddick snaps the merc's throat and stands up, letting his blade go, so that it floats in the air. "Now let the girl go."

"You'll have to excuse Junner's excitement. It sometimes makes him a touch… quick. Though I can't say I blame him." She smiles at the captive; "You are quite the prize, Doctor."

The Time Lord glares, "I'm not sure you realize exactly how much risk you are taking on, Madam."

She shrugs, "We might be able to work out some arrangement, say you for your companions. But for the moment, I must insist that you remove your coat, because who knows what you might have at your disposal in those amazing pockets of yours."

"Don't Doctor," says one of the companions, a male match to the girl on the floor.

"Be quiet, Simon."

"The coat, or the girl. Choice is yours." The white-haired woman signals to Junner who makes a show of squeezing down on the trigger.

The Time Lord slipped off the leather jacket revealing he wore a navy blue jumper underneath and handed it over to a waiting merc, "You will regret this, Antonia."

Chillingsworth gave the man a look like he amused her, "Lock them down. We're done here."

Her second raised his gun to reveal a blood drop on River's forehead as even more mercs filed in to carry out the order. He waits until they lift the girl up and haul her away before moving over to his mistress. The captives are all looking pissed off, mostly because they believe perhaps that they could have kept fighting. The muscle-bound knife fighter is slapped in shackles, along with the redhead, the blonde, and the Doctor. The dark skinned priest and children are escorted away under armed guard. Bowing his head Junner says, "My apologies."

Antonia bites her lip and looks at him, moving in very close; "You know how worthless those are to me." She breathes into his ear and then licks it; "You did well." The lick becomes a bite, then a suckle on his earlobe, "People die in this line of work, Junner." She turns his face, "A handful of men? A small price to pay."

He gives her a nod, then asks, "What will you do with them?"

She curls her hand over his coat collar, "_Slowly_, Junner." He lets her take what she wants from him, even though he'd rather be someplace not with floating bodies and drops of blood while she's doing so. And after she untwines herself from him and straightens his clothes she smiles, "Tonight, you will attend to me. Tomorrow, have the Doctor and his chosen companion, one, brought to the conservatory. I've got something – beautiful – in mind," Antonia then brushes her hand over the mark that makes him hers, "and Junner, unfreeze some more mercs."


	6. Part Six Captive

**A/N**: _OtherMeWriter, Robin Moto, My Reflection, BalrogsBreath, mirth513 : thanks for the feedback. A bit about Gallifreyan mythology will be added to the Forum. I've also added some about the elementals from Riddick. The info is from a source that I will quote. And how close will this follow the Dark Fury plot? Fairly close, unless I come up with something better. Can I stretch this out to 34 chapters? Um… maybe not, but… I intend to flow into other bits, from Firefly and the Pre-'Rose' scenes actually, before the end. And actually there's one in this chapter. **:-D**  
I want to point out that my use of slang is intentional, with Paris, Jack, and Riddick all having been exposed to Blue Sun areas before in the last story, and carrying on here with this one. And of course, Simon and River already are immersed in it, but learning about the other colonies now. Now you might wonder why I'm still showing some Chinese, if the TARDIS is translating… for Jack, Simon, River, and Riddick Chinese is just about as natural as English. So from their Point Of View the Chinese's full meanings are more potent then the English would be. I've set this back in time 17 years so that I can add in some scenes and fit some events into place… Like the Into Pitch Black data that has Riddick as an adult being in prison for 29 years when he's from a planet that was destroyed right around his birth 25 years ago… Huh._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Six

Captive

They were poked, prodded, shoved -- rather roughly _escorted _down a number of narrow twisty passages that if they'd been made of stone would have been perfect in a dungeon setting, except for the overly clean state and metal walls. Guns prickled the air in front of them, and guns poked from behind, and frankly, Johns figured they could take these bastards. There were only thirty-four of them after all. They just wiped the walls with fifty. This would be easy, if Jack and Ali weren't in the way. _Damn_, he was going soft. So the marshal snarled at the overweight excuse for a merc when he was pushed again and bit back the urge to tell the bastard off.

Riddick didn't keep his words to himself, "Move to hit the boy again, and I'll break your _go-tsao-de_ nose," he warned the merc that had struck Jack once when the kid had nearly fallen because of the speed they were being ushered through the uneven passages at. The expression on the con's face made the man pull up short. "Jack, step up here in front of me." Johns stepped into the boy's exited place to keep the merc from moving up too and gave him a look that read, _Wanna try to hit me_?

River and Simon both tried to protect Ali although the mercs seemed less inclined to go for him with the Imam right behind him. Carolyn glared at everything with sparking eyes just so that the male guards understood that she'd remove any 'family jewels' that came too close to either herself or the dark-haired girl. She was doing a very good job of hiding how terrified she was behind a wall of anger.

And then there was the Doctor. He was walking quietly, his eyes hooded, his body language closed off. To have said he was infuriated was likely a huge understatement. Although River had come away with a slight cut on her forehead, being shaken up but unharmed, the fact that she'd even been threatened in the first place had earned Junner a slot on the 'will get revenge' table. The Doctor's internal list was really very short, as far as that went. He'd totally eliminated the individuals of his own ilk that had made their way onto the list long before the War. That being the case, it had the words, _Dalek, Dalek, Chillingsworth, Junner,_ and _Unknown - Blue Sun Alliance_, on it.

And the only reason the term Dalek was still there was because he had seen too much evidence that something of them still existed for him to totally remove them. Even if he hadn't seen indication of their technology being incorporated into Kovan items he'd be unable to discount Daleks totally. The TimeWar made sure of that. The parasite made sure of that. He'd just about had it with the fella aiming the gattling-styled energy weapon at his back too. The brown-haired head dipped just enough to avoid the piping running cross counter to the passage they were moving down and seriously, _It would be just too easy to put a boot up that annoying little ape's arse_.

They were steered into a different hall, one that was wider and taller, lined with energy field blocked doorways that held cryo-tubes both empty and full, or prisoners that were quite awake, not all of which were human. In fact, more than a few looked quite – non-human. There were reptilian humanoids, not so humanoid - might have once been a mammal - mutants, and a number of other aggressive creatures of varying intelligence and or wit. But what caught his eye was something altogether different. _Wasn't that a clutch Mutos-Krakis Juveniles_? The Time Lord had to force himself to not turn and stare at the multi-tentacled, grayish-green blob of flesh that he's fairly sure is a Skaroisan lifeform. _How in Rassilon's name did those survive_? Which leads to another question that is more along the lines of wondering _why_ they survived. He can make a fair guess, however. Likely they are here so that the Rychengolls can design new technology that their Dalek masters can use. They are lab rats, and rejects because they don't possess the genius level intellect required for real Dalek warriors. That gives him a grim comfort.

One of the octopus-like, air-breathing creatures focused on the new group and flashed a complex pattern of red, mauve, heliotrope, and maroon. It gestures in rather angry motions as the colors shift, rather bright enough to nearly glow. The translation is vulgar beyond anything the Doctor would stoop so low as to call another intelligent lifeform. And it is directed solely at him. The instant recognition built into the biology of all Skaroisan mutants gives them away. The Time Lord narrows his eyes and forces himself to not go for one of the weapons that are so prominently displayed around him. _Oh. That's just too insulting_! Instead he goes for an insult that is significantly more evolved "I don't like _you_ either! You repulsive –_ lab rat_," the Doctor hisses back at it. He's not proficient at the extreme pigment altering form of communication, as far as speaking it goes but he understands it fluently.

His words cause his group to look over in time to see the other mutants in the recess huddle forward and begin flashing like a mob behind police lines. Clearly the creatures understand the Doctor quite well, even if his form of language is nothing like their own. They are a mass of wild clashing colors, shifting like a wild mass of mis-matched neon signs.

One of the mercs calls out, "Hey! Hey! Easy -- easy there. You know how to contact the boss! Back it off before I increase the power." Not only can they understand the Time Lord, but also there's little doubt that the creatures understand the human language and attitude in general even if they don't or can't vocalize back. Several turn away, one moves to a keypad built into the wall, and another makes what can only be viewed as a rude gesture to the merc. Several if its fellows gang up and pull it back from the energy barred portal.

The guards decide to just get the bunch they are escorting behind a security field as fast as possible so that they don't land in the middle of a riot. One of them punches the panel, "Get in or we'll shoot you all." The rest of the weapons come up; looking like the threat is a very real one.

Imam hustles the boys and River inside, Simon and Fry follow. But it takes William and Richard to drag the Doctor inside the cell, because, more than likely, he's really too busy growling sub-sonically deep in his throat to realize that he's been ordered inside. Across the way and just at the edge of their sight, the odd inhuman tentacled creature that had started this flashes more shades of red, russet, lavender, and mauve before slipping it's fellows and ramming it's force field hard enough to make the energy project outward. The Doctor's response is to tense up, revealing to both Rich and Billy exactly how strong he is. Much more Herculean that he looks to be, certainly. His posture actually helps the two men drag in backwards because they can lift him slightly. "Turn up the security on the Shrill, will ya?" says one merc as he toggles energy shield closed on the cell in front of them as soon as the Time Lord is hauled inside.

"Yes sir," the overweight merc moves over to the cage across the hall and sets to work on the controls for the containment field. He is nearly blinded by the flashing light show that is tossed his way, "Hey, cut it out!" The fellow puts a hand over his eyes; "You got a problem with our new guests take it up with the captain!" Once he's finished upping the energy flowing into the grid he rejoins his fellows and the armed guard tromps out, leaving the two sides to 'glare' at one another from across the room.

Johns jerks away from the pale man's navy clad arm as soon as he realizes he's been snarled at by Riddick, "No problem, man. I'm going." He backs off to the far corner and hunches down to sit on his heels. The Doctor doesn't show any sign that he notices. But at least the scary sub-sonic rumble has stopped. "So, what the fuck do we do now?"

"I'm sure we'll come up with something," Carolyn offers. Then as she tugs her gray coat tighter around herself, "Why do they keep it so cold in here?"

"The '_Shrill_'," the Doctor says from the door, voice dripping with contempt, "are an ice-environment mutation. This is borderline deathly hot for them." His eyes never leave the flashing colors he's seeing from the other cell. For a very long time the silence swirls with unspoken questions.

Imam took a deep breath and settled Ali and Jack down near the light so he could look at the bruise on Jack's cheek, "Dr. Tam do you have anything that can lessen the effects of the blow that Jack took?"

Simon finishes checking River and patching the cut on her forehead, "Yes. Here, let me look." He kneels down by the green-eyed boy and turns his pixie-like face, "At least you don't have a black eye, eh, Jack?"

"Did you see the smoke bomb?" The boy grins as a cream is applied to his cheek, "Ali and I made those! How cool is that?"

Simon smiles, "Yes, that was a most effective chemistry lesson, yesterday, wasn't it?"

"I like chemistry!" Ali said.

Imam ran his fingers through the mop of shiny black hair on the boy's head, "Just be careful how you use them, you two. Listen to your elders and let them guide you." Ali nodded up at Abu. Jack made a face and then nodded too. The dark skinned man smiled at them both.

Then the redhead cleared his throat, "Still got a huge ass-load of questions, the most important being 'What the fuck is going on here?' but I'd settle for getting an answer on 'What was the bitch-witch babbling about?', M'kay?"

The holy man got a dark look on his face. Simon slightly mirrored it but not to the degree that Abu was expressing. River tilted her head as if Johns was sideways and she needed to see him upright, straightened up and shook like she was casting off something, "The Storm. Oncoming. Feared. Karshtakavaar." She looked over at the Doctor and Rich who were standing together by the door. "Ancient legends. _Dong ma_?"

"Oh, sure. But I don't know those stories, so please spill?" William looked from River to Simon to Abu. After a sigh, the holy man recounted his legend about the 'Destroyer of Worlds' as he remembered it, down to the detail of the 'dragon' that could change to blend with it's surroundings. Johns listened as intently as the two boys did as none of them had heard the story before. Only after did he mention something he spotted on the Time Lord back when they were still stuck on the planet, "Would this 'dragon' have anything to do with the tattoo on the Doctor's right forearm?"

_What_? Rich snatched the arm in question and pushed up the sleeve to reveal a small, nine centimeter long, black serpentine dragon on the fleshy inner area below the Time Lord's elbow. The sight triggered a rapid rush of flashing images, sensations, and sounds. An orange sky with a small sun climbing from the south. Tranquillity. Soft brown curly hair. Security. Masculine laugher, different but familiar. Silver leaves swaying in a warm summer breeze. The feel and rustle of velvet. A blonde Lady in a simple dress with a heart-shaped face and lively sparkling eyes smiling down at him. Love. The same mark on a lightly tanned, almost delicate, male shoulder glistening with water from a swim. His childlike hand reaching for a glimpse of soft leather. A woman's voice singing. It's all there and gone. He can taste honey on his tongue. Something about that is important.

He tightened his grip as the Doctor turned his glare on him, "Most people just ask."

"Why didn't I notice this before?" Riddick knows he should remember this mark, that he knew someone with it, and that this someone was very important to him growing up. He's beginning to wonder if this isn't the same person. But how? The memories he has that are clear don't jive with the ones that this mark is associated with.

The jerking motion made by the taller man caused the wider one to half-trip a step closer as he refused to let go, "Maybe I didn't want you to."

Nose to nose now, and Richard's not sure what he wants to do. He's angered that Johns saw the mark and he didn't, and yet – There's pain behind that glare. The bronze man puts his other hand up on the Doctor's face, letting his argument fall. It doesn't matter, not really. He's thinking that he should know this face, if he knows that mark, only he doesn't, not the face at least. But he does know the storm that rages behind it. He slides his hand up into the Doctor's hair and pulls his head down until they are resting forehead to forehead. The sweet on his tongue is so very important, but he can't remember why.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

She woke suddenly, going from lying flat to sitting up, the fire burning through but not harming her. The aura of flame licks across her flesh, hot and visible, but not damaging anything around her. She is an _'Ifritah,_ after all. A true fire elemental in female form. Like all of her kind she is beautiful, passionate, and willful, bending only to the call of the greater good, the Red Guardian. Unlike most other of her people, however, she cannot be seen with flames racing over her skin because of her position in the society that she is currently embroiled in. The fact that it is only adds to her emotional distress caused by the sudden unexplained wakefulness.

In contrast to her perfectly tanned complexion, her sable curls are a wild mess, a dark halo around her exquisite face. The state of her hair matches the condition of her mind as the images begin to drop away leaving her feeling as if she's entered in a dream and that the waking was what she left behind. For a horrible instant she can't remember where she is. _Sihnon_ floats through her mind. She's still at the Companion House Madrassa, where she has been studying and serving as a Companion for the last decade. She looks at the flames licking her hand and takes a deep breath.

There has been undeniable change. Something fundamental in the 'Verse has shifted. She can feel it deep in the root of her being, as if the very nature of what she is has been wrenched, twisted, and snapped back into place.

Tossing aside the coverlet of her sleeping mat, she gracefully gains her feet and pushes open the shutters with an elegant hand to let in the cool wintry air. It's an automatic reflex to dampen the flames. Only this time it is not enough.

Panic tinges her vision, as she tries to figure out what is different. It doesn't take her long to hone in on the constant computations that the back of her mind is always working on. And then she sees it. The Block-Transfer string that her people maintain has shifted, resting even more weight upon the minds of Quintessan elite. She gulps down air, trying to get her visible aura back under control before someone comes knocking on her door.

The red metallic engraved disk that is her link to her homeworld is what she needs right now, to see if anyone else has noticed the change. Each of her calculations are revising themselves as the true implications of the alterations make themselves known. She plucks the disk from it's hiding spot behind the Companion's shrine at the far side of her room and freezes. Shivers flow through her. The disk has become golden. Only one possibility exists for that to have happened, and she's not sure the ancient network this device relies on still exists now. She won't know until she tries it. Heart thudding in her chest now, she activates the communication device, hoping that there is someone on the other end to answer her. After a moment there's a wispy airy voice that breathes, "Inara?"

She takes a hasty, thankful lung of air, "Aereon? I was sure that this wouldn't work anymore."

"Why child? Our duties have not ended. In fact, they seem to have increased."

"So, you see the change too? Was there any warning, any clue at all?"

"The numbers show that it was ordained that the renegade would be alone on the eve of his ascension, but for those representing the elements who shall join together to lift him up. The Red Guardian will be coming to you, Child. You must maintain your cover."

"My calculations indicate that my time grows short, Aereon. They are beginning to wonder why I show no sign of age. But I'm loath to abandon by post if I'm needed."

"Soon, child, the rebellion there will be over and the way will open for you. For now, disguise your nature with the trappings that others use to maintain their youth. Rest now, '_Ifritah_." And with that the disk became inactive again, but it remained golden. She brushed her thumb over the alien symbols that represented the most advanced evolution in math that had ever risen, and knew that the people responsible for it were gone. Her heart became very heavy. What would happen in the days to come, now that the 'Verse rested on the very human shoulders of her people? While it was true that they had worked with, allied themselves with, accepted the evolutionary help of… Time Lords they were not. As willing Children of the Red Guardian, they understood that only his justice, his balance, kept the 'Verse alive when both the forces of too much order and too much chaos threatened to overwhelm it. And the other Guardians? Unchanging, flighty, or so immersed in life itself that it had no awareness of the threat… They simply allowed the others to do as they would. The weight became pain as the grief built inside her.

She slipped the disk onto a chain and put it around her neck, settling under the shimmering red and amber silk of her nightgown. The process allows her to get her unruly tresses back into some form of normalcy. Then the future possible head of the Companion's Guild did something she had never done before and would never allow herself to do again. She lit six sticks of incense for the Six-fold-God; Sandalwood, Clove, Cinnamon, Myrrh, Frankincense, and Lotus; and wept for the loss of the Lords of Time.


	7. Part Seven Reveal

**A/N**: _Nice Reviews, precious reviews, my precious… (um, wrong fandom there, hehe) Thanks to OtherMeWriter and My Reflection for the last two.  
Yes the plot will thicken, which is good because no one likes a runny plot, right? That would be like -- lumpy gravy, yuck.  
Glad you liked that last chapter, I shall continue to give you a blend of what is happening inside the Kubla Kahn and what is going on outside of it._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Seven

Reveal

It was the twentieth day of ninth month of the last year before the turn of the century, universal standard time. Not that all the worlds in the populated 'Verse shared the even seasons that the standard calendar implied. Those out on the Rim were in varying climatic patterns based on distance and natural year length, and for those living on those worlds and moons the 'out of sync' nature of it was just a given. But tradition was tradition after all.

On a nondescript terraformed 'earth' called Shadow, sat a normal, common, sprawling ranch house. It anchored a normal, sprawling ranch. In terms of ranches, it was successful, and those who lived and worked there were happy and content, for the most part, with their lot in life.

The main house was an earth-toned building designed to provide beds, meals, shelter, and a measure of privacy for fifty. Not overly new, nor overly old, it was well constructed, lived in, and loved for the sense of home that filled every nook and cranny of the extended structure. Just over three stories, with a broad patio, roofs angled to deal with the few but heavy downpours, the thick walls provided a natural insulation against the environmental extremes that most terraformed moons or worlds were subject to.

The current population of this house was forty-five, of which one was a woman. The others were hired hands or family of this almost auburn haired female, who was finishing up the final touches of a huge cake that was the dessert of the evening meal. She glanced out toward the front veranda at the tall young man that stood there, lean and dressed in new clothes that had an almost military look to them, from the tailored cut of his shirt to the piping that ran down the seam of his pants. Considering where her son was heading off too, she supposed that the clothes had better look that way.

She was careful to hide her approval in a swath of motherly over-protectiveness. Ms. Reynolds loved her son and was very proud of his choices. She tried to make him into a wise man, one that others could rely on and somehow he'd twisted that into becoming a leader by his very nature. If he could meet destiny and not put his life on the line she'd be very happy. But perhaps fate had better things in store for her son. Sometimes to gain the ultimate prize, one had to walk through fire.

He had his father's deep blue eyes but her rich warm brown hair, a perfect mix of two individuals whose love was bittersweet and tragic. That the boy had grown up without his father hadn't seemed to be a problem. She'd done a right job with him, giving him the structure he'd needed to be whatever he wanted to be. That his desires centered at the moment on fighting the Alliance was only proof as to how completely he'd learned her lessons. Perhaps he'd do the impossible, if he found enough like-minded souls to back him up.

Malcolm Reynolds was home for one last time before setting off to train with bunch of men and women willing to fight and die for freedom. He was thirty-two today, or would be at exactly a quarter past six in the evening. Universal standard time that would be in about two hours, although local it hit about nine-ish this year. Weird, that. Then again, if the Core had its way everyone would be united under the exact same clock, no matter what the local time was. That peeved him like nothing else. They'd have kids in school on some worlds in the middle of the night because it as daytime on Londinium. According to his mother, he was still far too young to be going off and fighting in a gorram war, but this was their future they were talking about, and he wasn't going to let some paper-pusher from the Core tell him or his mother how to run this ranch.

His mother knew what she was doing. They were successful, happy, healthy… they didn't need a bunch of purplebellys dictating to them how to mend fences, or regulate their lives. He wasn't alone in this belief. Worlds were casting dice on the issue over the declaration of the Alliance. They might all circle the same blue sun, but they didn't all follow the same way of livin'. How could someone raised in the Core, pampered and mollycoddled, understand hardship and life on the Rim?

"Son, come in out of the rain and sit down to supper," Ms. Reynolds called before she summoned the ranch hands with the traditional triangle. The musical chime flitted into the air mingling with the sound of the rain drops pattering against the surfaces of the soil and house.

It was a topic they didn't talk about, this war. But Mal wasn't the only one going. Out of forty-three men five had decided that they too wanted to fight. Mal suspected that his mother had encouraged them, just to keep his behind covered. "Be right there, Ma. A long time before I see this place again, and I want to remember it."

"It'll still be here," the woman that had shaped him into the man he was came out onto the porch, wiping her hands, and hugged her son, "What do you think the Alliance is going to do? Destroy the entire planet?" although she was laughing, the chill that went through him made Mal hug her tight. _Could they do that_? He sent up a prayer that it was impossible while his mother tugged him into the rapidly filling dining room, "Smile Mal! It's your birthday. You only get to be thirty-two once, you know."

He pushed away the gloomy ache that was trying to descend upon him and threw himself into the unexpected party that his mother was giving him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They were touching, pale to rich golden skin, baby smooth to toughened and worn smooth. He was trembling inside, trying to keep the sensation from manifesting in his body. The Doctor wasn't sure if the feeling was his tempest trying to break out or if it was something else. Slowly, he closed his eyes and let the warmth from Riddick's hand in his hair soak into his skin, really feeling the touch, studying the thickened areas built up on the strong, skilled, bronze, fingers, the ridges of human fingerprints, the hot beat of a single-hearted pulse. Something in his root chakra, his elemental earth connection, stirred at this, centering his awareness on the physical nature of his body in ways that he hadn't given thought to since… Well, his last incarnation _had_ been rather fully in touch with that body between his bouts of remembering who he was. It had been a good body, too. One of the best he'd found himself in. Not too tall, nor too dumpy, perfectly graceful and pleasant to look at, all the while still allowing him to slip into the background with ease if he wanted to. He'd been quite fond of that body. But before that, he'd only been plagued with passing thoughts and speculation, as he watched his companions come and go. There'd been nothing like this, even when Romana had traveled with him. He glanced sideways at the flashing vulgar messages still being communicated by the Shrill. He needed to get this physical reaction tamped down before he did something that he'd regret later.

"Whatever they are saying, you don't need to see it," the ex-ranger insisted.

Rich's reply was a noncommittal sound. A slight change in the pressure applied with his fingers was enough to draw the intense stare back to his own. Unlike the Doctor, Richard wasn't trying to hide or fight the sensations he was feeling, the racing tingle that could translate into a raging erection if he acted on his impulse, as yet unformulated fully, to push this tension further. This really wasn't the time or place for him to be thinking such things, and that fact was the only reason he hadn't.

They were still forehead to forehead, and he could smell the rich sweet scent that was totally the Doctor's. The fact that he'd caught the man's intense eyes but was having problems keeping them prompted him to think, _Snail, don't let them do to you what Johns does to me, Alright_? There's a ripple of wry amusement, tinged with something dark and smoky like fading vehemence. The sweet taste on his tongue has not faded much but it has taken on a different set of spices, becoming more of a personal essence, with a deeper musk and just a hint peppery. The Doctor's slightly warmed lips tug into a faint grin that mirrors his internal amusement.

_Decided you like that nickname, have you_?

_I can think of times when calling out 'Doctor' would mood breaking, can't you_? The idea comes to him that he could move just a little and… He wonders if the man's lips are as soft as the hair under his fingers.

_No_, the Doctor's mental voice was deadpan serious, perhaps just a tad too much.

_Liar_. He forces his mind away from that rut, because he has no idea how the Doctor would feel about that.

Something must spill over from what he's trying to hide however, _If that's your intention you might want to use 'Thete' instead_.

_Why_?

_Because I can think of times when hearing 'Snail' would be a mood breaker, actually_. The thought is filled with suggestive promise and the sensation of silky smooth lips in a brushing pass over the hand still resting near the dragon on the Doctor's right arm that he knows has to be only mental. There's an energy with it that is like a rushing shiver, only much more pleasant as it tingles outward like ripples across his physical and mental awareness.

Richard blinked at the faintly teasing but warm expression for a moment, savoring the very – adult – feeling that came with that last thought, like a mental flirt. Warmth pools in his groin, not quite enough to make a visible problem but still draw his attention to the sensation. _Okay, Thete_. That there is still yet another thing he could become very addicted to.

_I hear you use that out loud in general and I'll ignore you. Fusing your lips together will come when you least expect it_.

The bronze skinned man had to suppress a snicker. But he did nod to show he understood.

Carolyn watched the interplay between Riddick and the Doctor. It made her feel uncomfortable, in some ways, to see the intense way the pair interacted with each other. She was reminded that they had some internal way to communicate that did not rely on physical or verbal cues. When those readable signs did surface they were so profound that it almost hurt to watch them. Riddick alone had managed to get his cuffs separated, although she wasn't sure when. Now he had on hand up on the other man's head, holding him with surprising gentle strength, and the other locked around a pale arm just above his manacled wrist. They were standing so close that they almost looked intimate. She shivered from the cold and forced her eyes away.

As far as William J Johns was concerned, the 'tension' was so thick you could cut it with a shiv. He'd never been one to want to see men get it on, not really. It wasn't that he thought it was wrong or anything, he just didn't swing that way himself. And before this, he hadn't honestly thought Richard B. Riddick did either, because he'd fought alongside the man, and fought with the man, and even though he'd taunted Riddick with such things he'd never seen any indication that he swung that way overmuch. Maybe it was just the Doctor? Who knew what cons got up to when behind bars. Violence, drugs, and sex were just all about what they had to do, even if Rich spent an excessive amount of time planning escapes. He was dying here, wanting to see the pair standing so without reserve yet not taking that next logical, predestined step. He thought for sure that they would already be makin' the bedsprings squeak, but maybe they hadn't passed that first vital step of actually _kissing_ yet.

The redhead smirked at the docking pilot; "They so need to just snog already." Fry gave him a glance that was filled with disgust, "Well they do. Come on you two, either do something or wait until you can get a room," Johns teased. Richard pulled back slightly so he could glare at the marshal without turning his face away much from the other man. He got a smooching motion out of his blue-eyed-devil for his trouble. He looked away. A moment later Johns asked, "So how do we go about getting out of this? Can we pop the force field lock?"

The intense deep blue eyes shifted from the black goggles to Billy; "Biodata secured. You wouldn't happen to have one of those mercenary's hands hidden on you, by chance?"

Johns made a face, "Fuckin' nuts. That's just like Butcher Bay's security. How did you slip out there, Rich?"

"Went around. And I already considered that option. No vents here to make it feasible."

Ali fidgeted and then tugged Abu down to whisper in his ear. The holy man got a look of conjecture on his face and then said, "Speaking of 'vents' are there toilet facilities here?"

River stood, looked at the walls for a moment, and then walked over to one and pushed. A single biological-waste disposal unit with an attached sink flipped down. She blinked at them with an 'it's right here, see?' expression. Ali hopped up and politely said "Thank you."

"Wait Ali, I've got a folding screen here," Simon stood and removed it from his supply pouch. He quickly set it up to allow the boy privacy.

Johns stood up and moved to a different corner, "How about the cuffs?"

"It's too much of a risk that they will search us if the cuffs are removed," the Doctor said.

After Ali came out from the screen, Johns stepped back and looked at the unit, "Maximum security, no flushing unless it is flipped back into the wall, so no way out there either." The marshal fidgeted, showing off his natural hyper nature. "Well, I gotta do something. Maybe there are more legends you all know?"

Dr. Tam replied, "Sure, I can tell you about Karshtakavaar, if you are interested. Although it is quite similar to what the Imam told us except for the references being geared toward 'cleaning' instead of outright destroying." Johns nodded his head. He'd listen to anyone talk about anything at this moment. So Simon settled down to relate the story, nearly word for word, as he remembered reading it. While he was talking Richard steered the Time Lord away from the force field and out of the line of sight of the Shrill.

Carolyn sat down and let River curl up half under her coat as she listened to the story. Jack moved over to the pair and sat on Fry's other side. Watching them, the Doctor moved to Imam and retrieved his sonic screwdriver. He then undid one cuff, slipped his vest off, put the cuff back on and handed both the device and the navy blue top to Abu. The entire thing had two purposes. One, it let him get the garment off so that someone else who needed it more might use it. Two, it let him set the sonic tool to the correct setting so that anyone could depress the button and use it. After that the Time Lord tried to gravitate back to the portal, but Riddick cut him off and sat him down with his back to it.

The dark skinned man was surprised that the Doctor put the cuff back on, and yet, it made sense to do so. The mercs might not notice the change from long to short sleeves, as the thinner shirt worn under the knit top was a slightly faded version of the same color, but they would notice the lack of shackles. He handed the garment to River, whose sundress was not much protection against the chill. She made a halfhearted protest before both Ali and Jack insisted she take it. Imam also slipped her the Doctor's silver cylinder, because he might be searched now if they were being watched and River knew enough to keep it hidden once she realized what he was doing.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The white-haired woman was a picture of perfect passion. Perfect in her physical form due to the implants that maintained her enhanced beauty, perfect in her carefully 'wild' abandon, perfect in sound and movement. Just perfect.

It was, after all, performance art and she had a captive audience to share it with, even if they couldn't applause her exhibition. But knowing that they were there, forced to watch her, unblinking, was a thrill all its own as she moved on the mounted form of her chosen partner for this erotic dance. His was a large figure, taunt and muscular. Pulsing and warm under her fingers, unable to resist her siren's call.

This was total power over another. He was hers, completely, body if not soul. And the Guild paid her to keep him, although the pittance was not what she'd wanted him for. No, it was the memories of how he _killed_ that made this particular individual part of her private collection, both pre- and post- capture. She let the ecstasy of the remembrance bubble through her as she let her movements build upon the physical pleasure the performance was giving her. If she could just hold out long enough to reach that supreme state of rapture… the artwork would be a masterpiece.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Junner watched as the bodies and pieces were moved out of the maintenance bay. A woman with silver blonde hair stood next to him, an Aquilan with enough experience to warrant a promotion, "This sector of the recycling unit has a methane leak. I need you to personally supervise the tech crew, report to me when the leak is repaired, and select a team of individuals that will follow your orders from this roster. The last person in your position," he points to the individual in question as the body is being levered into a body bag, "raised my expectations for this promotion substantially. I shall expect you to perform at the same level or above."

She nodded and took the roster padd from him, "Of course, Sir. Is there a time frame for the repairs?"

"Yesterday would have been nice."

Her gray eyes flashed his direction, "I'll get right on it Sir."

He watched her stride out with purpose. Yes, she would do nicely, if she performed up to her usual standard.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The lights had dimmed and if anything it had become colder. Simon had produced the space blanket and they had all settled into a huddle of sorts, the boys and River in the middle, Simon and Abu on one side, Fry and Johns on the other. The Doctor seemed to have shut off his need for sleep. Richard tried to ignore his. He had settled into the corner near the holy man, if only to provide him with some body heat as he slept.

_Doctor_? The goggled man reached his mind out to the other man, even though they were not physically close at the moment. He wasn't sure if it would work.

_Um_?

_Will you tell me about the tattoo_?

_Maybe_. There's humor in the tone.

Riddick shows him the tanned male shoulder with an identical mark, as water drops slide over the skin. That image is deliberate, the flash of curly soft brown hair and laugher are not. And for some reason he's imagining the Doctor with seafoam green eyes, much lighter in color that his current blue. He blinks aside the image because those light eyes don't belong in this face at all. _I've seen it before on someone else, but that's not a human mark, is it? Not a tattoo, really. So, do I have to beg you, Thete_?

Something settles over the Time Lord, like a shroud, _Biodata tag. Inactive now, for the most part. Tells of my importance, don't you think_?

The emotions are far more revealing than the actual words. Suffering flows with the thought like an undercurrent, nearly masked by flippancy. Clearly something has happened to wound this pale man that Richard has found himself addicted too. Something horrible. The lesion is so deep that it oozes an ache that is profound. He's alarmed and concerned, but uncertain of how to deal with it. He wants to provide – comfort – only he's received so little of it himself that he's quite unsure how. But he can't leave the man in pain that he's brought to the surface by his questions. He needs to provide something by way of succor. _Come here, Doctor_. Wordlessly, the cool figure does, settling down next to the bronze form of the ex-ranger. Richard strips off the goggles and takes the marked arm, tugging the other man closer, _This person, whoever he was, made me feel safe, and now, I wonder if he's not lost to me. Would you know that?_

_He's never been lost to you, Amadak._ The Doctor gives his arm a squeeze. Rich manages a slight smile and closes his silver eyes, finally able to allow sleep to come because he's secure. After the sounds of the other man's breathing settle out into that of deep sleep, the Doctor sighs, the emotions washing over him of mixed grief, rage, protectiveness, and possession. Why does life hurt so?


	8. Part Eight Impend

**A/N**:_Hello everyone. Starting this off, I want to extend thanks for the new "Favorite Story" listing to dillon2 and for the "story Alert" to Shadowgal ANBU. Then there are my reviewers, such wonderful lovely people who take the time to tell me what they think about this wild mutant plot-bunny childe, My Reflection, OtherMeWriter and mirth513. You know I am forever grateful to know what you think.  
Who was the mysterious gent that Riddick saw a flash of? Eventually you will know. If I have you guessing at this point then I've done my job well. Yes, I just had to put that scene with Mal in there, I had no idea how old he was, and I love the show. I guess I just never paid attention to when he was born. Now I have to decide if I'm doing Zoe or Wash or Book next… I decided on Zoe... heh._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Eight

Impend

River Tam opened her eyes and carefully wiggled out of the center of the pile, allowing Ali and Jack to scoot closer together. While she was cool outside the space blanket, she was roasting inside it. She looked over the calm auras of those sleeping, deep red embers, grayish clouds, and peaceful tans… but the Doctor's aura was boiling, rolling blackish foam filled with lighting sparks. She blinks at that, startled by the contrast not only of the auras but also his external appearance. Looking at the Time Lord's face reveals nothing to her, as it seems peaceful. She knows, however, that he is not.

Walking silently, the wispy teen moves over to the pale man and focuses on the bronze hand that he is loosely holding. The man that the hand belongs to is not an ordinary human. His senses are better than even hers is by way of smell and hearing. She suspects there are things about him that he doesn't even know. It's a mystery, a puzzle… the filaments connect him now, to her and Simon as well as the storm and the golden Lady. And there is an additional loose tie still. Like her, he's opening up inside his mind, filling a space that was empty. But unlike her, his mind does this behind a crystal wall that keeps it internal. He knows things and yet he doesn't. And she can't just accidentally read his thoughts because he is shielded.

She cocks her head, letting her hair tickle the back of the joined hands as she kneels there. The Doctor is not sleeping, she knows.

"Come on, River," he says without opening his eyes as he lifts one elbow in invitation.

She smiles and tucks herself into his lap, under his chin and arm, somehow managing to fold into the space without alerting the ex-ranger to her presence. She tugs the cool arm back into place and lets the calculations from his mind flow into her. He begins softly speaking, letting her associate the images of the characters with the musical language and concepts, teaching her. She absorbs it like a sponge. This system of characters, runes, numbers, math and concepts that transcend culture, species, and time is as natural as breathing to her. This way of learning is more like her own internal system than anything she's ever encountered before.

What River is unaware of is that this is the same way the Doctor was taught, if only a more organic version of it. Brainbuffing, his people called it. Force-fed education usually followed by intensive reciting. But the Time Lord doesn't need for her to toss it back to him. For a change he uses his entire mind, his genius, to coach hers. If he can't kill the parasite then someone is going to have to take over. Thus far, River is the only one he's encountered that might be able to do it. And if he does manage to kill the doomsday agent, then River can help balance him, because, really, he's got too much power in his hands for any one individual to be wielding, even with the TARDIS blocking the bulk of it off.

Beside them, Riddick dreams of a place that he knows deep in his heart, although he can't recall ever being there. The double-sun world twines with images of a single orange star peaking through a cloudy sky. For some reason his mind insists that the places are connected, although he is positive that they cannot be. The faint music of someone male speaking or singing in a chant fills the wind he hears with an eerie 'homesick' sensation. It's not quite a nightmare, because the feeling is too faint to be totally distressing. His mind can see complex concepts, like a flowing book, or screen that is fluid rippling in the breeze. It's a web of chaining runes, a matrix of equations, an interconnecting weave of universal history expressed in science and complete surety. He understands the characters, can picture the related subjects and anticipate the next stanza of the chant. The knowledge sits deep in his psyche, like a foundation, strong and solid. He comprehends this. And he also realizes that he won't remember it with such crystal clarity in the morning, because it's hidden, secret, fundamental truth too dangerous to have floating through his conscious mind.

There's a disjointed flash.

The feel of the dream shifts to that of 'vision', becoming too clear, too real.

He struggles to retain the original flow of the dream, calling back the other visage for a moment before it is overwhelmed and it's torn from him like a sheet being ripped out of his hands to expose what exists beyond it.

Dark. Black. Space. Comet. Fleets of ships, disk-like. Ice falling from the sky, bright streaks of vapor against the night sky. War. An enemy that is not humanoid, but covered in rounded armor. Battle. Humanoid armored warriors marching and planting rods that produce glowing balls of concentrated gravity. Explosions. Fire. He knows this from both is own past visions and what he's seen in Thete's mind. The images twist together, even though they do not belong to the same set of events. They can't. Please let them not be.

There's a voice, masculine and feminine at the same time, that floods through the images '**You _must_ reconcile the past**.' He sees a flash of burning buildings beyond a doorway, a near wall of flame. A garden beyond holds pearl-gray roses, surrounding a triad of female statues with a sculpture shaped like 'Ω' in the middle of them. The voice blots out the image making it fade and twist, '**For he who bares the mark**.' Unfocused, there's a familiar shape to the black blur on skin, it reminds him of a specific image but he resists actually forcing it into sharpness. Instead he begins to struggle with this vision, wanting it to end. There's a woman in front of him with multi-braided blonde hair that flows down her back in a wave of thick coils. She is dressed in burgundy dyed leather that molds to her figure. A navy blue deerskin cape is draped from her shoulders, half hiding the sword that hangs from her hip. It flutters behind her as she gains ground on him. A vulture circles. Her pale amber eyes are unlike anything he's ever seen before on anyone else. '**It is the will of **_**Menti Celesti**_** that you be the one to do this, **_**Amadak**_.' He wants to back away from her, this strange glowing vision, even though he knows he has dealt with her before. This is Pain. He smells roses. The woman reaches for him, her hand covered with russet blood. As he fights the impending contact she begins to burn, flickering with hellish fire that causes her flesh, now stone, to crumble…

His eyes fly open.

For the longest timeless moment he can't recall where he is or who he is or why he's there. All he can feel is the disorientating sensation of being connected but not connected to the events of a past he can't remember. As the confusion fades he becomes aware of a secondary sensation – pain. His pulse throbs through his body so hard that every beat is an exercise in agony. Then this too dwindles away leaving him with concentrated discomfort centered on his temples. In spite his sudden pounding headache, he is sure that the female visage didn't get a chance to actually touch him. He tightens his grip on the hand holding his and shifts to lean more on the Time Lord. _What did Pain want with him_?

The fluttering tempo under his fingers calms him. He slowly begins breathing again; unsure of how long he's held his breath. The Doctor's hand squeezes back, telling him that his distress is known and that he's not alone. Rich blinks but does not fall back asleep. He does not want to give _her _the chance of tasking him with whatever horrors she thinks he must dish out. As far as he is concerned, Thete's paid for his crimes and now it's time to move on with life. So instead of sleep, he listens to that musical murmur and lets the tingle wash over his skin.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The transport ship,_ Alleyne_, slid into high orbit to pick up shuttles from the planet below filled with soldiers for the Independent Movement. Nothing new in that, really. The war has yet to start, but the volunteers are already pouring in. The coffee-n-cream complexioned young woman settled down still yet another bundle of 'standard issue' gear for the troopers that will be filling these bunks until her father can deliver them for training. Each bunk gets bedding and nightclothes. The Independent officers handle uniforms and weapons. She's been through basic, was raised on it really, so this doesn't bother her much, although she's more used to seeing these bays filled with crates, not beds.

It's expected that she will go fight and send her pay back to cover the transport costs for the ship, like her other non-essential family old enough to carry a gun. She doesn't mind. Actually, if she has a commanding officer worth his salt, she might even learn something new. And if she don't she could always – shoot 'em. Politely, of course. She's been told that by the time this batch is out of basic and the first units deploy she'll be 'legal' to join up, even though she already has, by virtue of her father. He's a retired Marine from the other side of the galactic arm, in the region of Taurus who had come to Blue Sun thinking that the 'grass was greener' here. Maybe not, though? He refused to leave again, however, citing the fact that colonies on the other side of wild space had the strange habit of going 'missing'. At least here when a dirtball was settled it stayed that way unless something like war happened.

"They added another squad, we got room in here for them?" called her mother.

"We can make room, if we have the beds," answers her father. Several of the other family members flow into the room and begin shifting things to make the isles tighter so another row of bunks can be added. By the time they have the new ones set up Zoë is ready to put the bedding on them. "Efficient as usual." The dark skinned man pats her on the shoulder, "Hit your own bunk, young 'in. You have mess-hall duty at zero-six hundred for the troops."

"Yes sir. I love you, dad."

The man gave her a mischievous look, "Of course you do." She thwacked his arm and he relented, "I love you, Zoë."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

His dreams had been fairly peaceful as of late, even with the strange and dangerous situations that his waking life often found him in. But now, something dragged him out of his slumber, tenaciously ignoring his desire to stay sleeping. Thus, Jack woke with an odd tickling feeling driving him to distraction. An annoying sensation – down_ there_. He just _couldn't_ scratch it, because the location was not one that people normally touched while in the presence of others. And even behind the privacy screen, he wasn't going to risk it. What would the others think?

The lights were still low. River had moved leaving Ali curled up against him and a bit of space on the other side. Maybe if he just lay still? The sensation ramped up, building until he had to move. He wiggled out of the huddle and quietly darted to the toilet. Gah! This was going to make him crazy. Once behind the screen, Jack fidgeted and squirmed for a few moments before he decided to see of the cool air would help drive the sensation away. Even that made his toes curl. How was he supposed to act like a normal boy when his body was acting this way?

He needed help.

But whom could he turn to? The Imam was right out… no way he was going to attempt explaining what his problem was to the holy man. And that meant that Ali didn't need to know. Could he talk to a girl about this? Somehow he didn't think so. So Carolyn, nice as she was, and River, who might even understand about bodies not doing what you want them to, were both in the 'are you crazy' category. That left Johns, Riddick, Dr. Tam and the Doctor. There was no way in hell he'd tell the marshal anything about how he felt. He didn't trust the man, even if he was clean at the moment. The young doctor had been nice to him, had healed up the damage, made it better for a long time… but this sensation was that kind of _needy _feeling that medicine couldn't solve. And Jack thought the young man was just older and cute enough that he'd be tempted to try seducing him. No. Definitely not. Did he dare approach Riddick with this? Did he want to die? Heh, no. That left one person.

Would the Doctor have a way to help him?

He squirmed, feeling like he had insects crawling over his lower regions. Nearly every foul Chinese insult he knows floats through his brain. This was awful. He set his face, straightened his clothes and then stepped over to where the Doctor is now standing, watching the flashing colors from the cell across from them. River and Richard seem to be playing some sort of Rock-Paper-Scissors game quietly that has rules he can't begin to fathom. Jack chewed on his lip, "Um, Doctor?"

Those intense blue eyes turn away from the light show and toward him and the green-eyed boy shifts from foot to foot. The man is tall, taller than Riddick is, by a bit even. And he just oozes power. Then the pale gent sort of morphs as he crouches down, becoming totally approachable, "Hi Jack." His smile is shadowed but so wonderfully real. "Now why are you so antsy, eh?"

He can feel the hot blush moving up his face. "I've been told it's the sorta thing people don't talk about in polite society, sir," he whispers.

"Ah." The man looks thoughtful for a moment. He then puts on hand into the air palm up, "Can I touch your hand, Jack?" The boy hesitates, then puts his hand inside the Doctor's opened one. "Here, I'll explain as I do this, alright?" Jack nods. The blue-eyed hairless gent smiles at him again, reassuring him, "It's just a bit of pressure point manipulation. Something I picked up in my travels. Let's start here, on your wrist, yeah?" He rolls Jack's had over and cradles it in his own even while he rubs over the back of the boy's wrist with as soothing touch.

Jack is nervous, but he's willing to try anything to keep from seeking out things he knows he shouldn't want to do just to stop the maddening sensation he's feeling. The soft, cool skin over muscles unyielding in the form of fingers gently slid over his skin, locating specific spots with practiced ease before applying even intense pressure that is distracting enough to draw his attention away from the persistent tickling sensation. Jack relaxes even though he hadn't realized he was tense. After his nerves seem to adjust to the press of those deliberate digits, they begin to stroke across the center of his wrist with the same concentration. Jack lets out a breath as he becomes aware that the needy sensation is fading.. It feels so good to have his body free of the conditioned urges that he has to blink back tears.

The Doctor's other hand comes up and his fingers settle between Jack's thumb and index finger, "Okay, there?"

Jack just nods, totally relaxed with what is going on. The added pressure of a deep massaging stroke starts along the edge of his thumb and flows up into the fleshy part of his hand, chasing away the last of the twitching creeping of his skin. He's not sure why but once his hand is released he throws his arms around the man's neck and hugs him. "Thank you. Oh wow. Just – Thanks." He lets go, sitting on the floor, slightly embarrassed with his display.

The Time Lord catches the boy and cups his chin. "You are welcome, young man," he says with seriousness. "Anytime, within reason, that you need me to do this again, you just let me know, _dong ma_?" The Doctor finds himself with an armload of honey-haired child, hugging him like he's just given him the best present anyone could have. He can't quite hug the boy back because of the cuffs, but clearly Jack doesn't care. "You're not going to cry on me are you?"

Jack laughs quietly, "No, sir. I've never had anyone willing to just help me before. You've no idea how much it means to me. It's the most precious thing anyone's ever givin' me." He keeps his face and body pressed close, not willing to end the hug yet. He feels the man rest his head against his hair.

"Oh, I think I might have a few notions, Jack. Just a few." He is still cradling the boy when the lights start to come up. Another unknown has inserted itself into the 'revenge' list. If he ever comes across the bastard that abused Jack he'll rip the man apart, limb by bloody limb. No child should think kindness is a gift. It should be a given, that. Although he's still in front of the doorway, his attention has been on the youth the remainder of the night. The empty feeling he has inside threatens to spill over and consume everything he is. The boy is sleeping again, curled in his lap.

Richard moves up and peers over the Doctor's shoulder, "First River, now Jack. You have quite a way with children."

"Only damaged ones, I'm afraid. My own never listened to me much."

"You have kids?" Riddick settled down next to the Time Lord.

"I believe I did just say that, yes. Had, actually. They're gone now."

"I'm sorry about the loss. I don't think I could imagine that. Surviving your kids…"

The Doctor shrugs, "It's been a long while, I've had time to deal with it. I do miss them, sometimes. But then I stumble on a 'River' or a 'Jack' and I realize that things are not as bleak as I might want to believe. I'm not dead yet, Richard. Who knows what the future will bring?"

Riddick looks at the sleeping child, "He looks like a pixie, so innocent."

"They all look that way."

"You serious about leaving him at New Mecca?"

The deep blue eyes met silver, "Yes. He _can't_ stay with me. He's still growing, Richard. Exposing him to even more foreign energies than he's been already will alter him in ways that I don't think he would want."

"He's not gonna like it."

"No."


	9. Part Nine Forward

**A/N**:_This week has been busy, and I hate that my job is demanding that I give it 43 hours of my time to it. Cuts into my writing time, as I'm sure you have noticed. And the Doctor isn't forgiving either. Oh, no. He invades my dreams. So I suppose I should put fingers to keyboard here and give you all another chapter.  
But first I want to thank my reviewers: My Reflection, OtherMeWriter, and xmenloganfan (who reviewed in the forum :waves to xmenloganfan:).  
Question: Is Riddick having Visions? Oh, well… yes I would call it that. There's a reason. He had Visions in Chronicles of Riddick and Escape from Butcher Bay, so he is disposed to them._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Nine

Forward

Imam woke to the soft rustling of the others waking. He was stiff and sore, but more rested than he thought he would be. He slowly kneeled and rubbed his dark eyes to work the sleep out of them. He was thankful to have lived another day, and was not going to complain about sleeping on the floor, unlike the redhead badge, who was stiffly clambering to his feet, rather off balance because he was still cuffed. "Sleeping on the floor at my age is not the best of ideas," Johns was saying as he gingerly stretched.

Carolyn rolls her eyes, "Sleeping on the floor at any age isn't the best of ideas. You ok there, Abu?"

The dark skinned man nods and accepts the double hand up, as she is cuffed too. "The owner of this ship certainly does not practice hospitality."

The Arabic boy says, "Does anyone mind if I use the facilities?" The adults all shoo Ali off to the toilet, as they continue to work out the effects of being on a stiff surface all night long.

Simon does not seem too bad off, like Ali. He's younger than the others are, and his body is more forgiving of the abuse. Dr. Tam hands out ration tablets and hydration jell, because their captors don't seem to be providing either to them, "I suppose that these cells are designed for Cryo or very short term holds. Not that the summation bodes well for us."

Fry takes what he's handing out and looks at it, "This is – different."

"But good for you, Carolyn. These will give you the calories and nutrients you need, even if you don't get the chewing sensation that you'll crave. I know it's not the best breakfast, but considering that our captors didn't even see fit to provide with a comfortable environment, I'm guessing this is to soften us up. To make us easier to handle."

"That sounds about right, for how POW's are treated," Billy tosses out, "but I'm not aware of any wars going on, so why?" He musses up his curly hair then finger combs it back into place, "These gorram chains are a pain in the ass, no wonder you break them, Rich." Riddick simply smirks at his blue-eyed-devil's direction.

Imam looks over at the Doctor who is placing a red-cheeked Jack back on his feet. "I think that perhaps there is a war going on, Mr. Johns. It just isn't one that involves humanity against itself at the current moment."

Billy lets his eyes drift the same direction, "Father, you may be right. But I hate to think of the full implications of things if you are. And I don't like that we are caught in the crossfire."

"None of us do, I expect. But to abandon the Doctor to fight this battle alone is not the noble approach. And we may not be given a choice in that matter."

They consumed their rations and used the toilet, so that Simon could put the screen away before their hostess snatched it. The Tam scion also put the blanket away. That done, they all settled into groups to wait. River, Ali, and Jack were conversing in various languages, with the elder teen teaching the boys new words. Simon flipped through a padd book he'd brought with him, studying what he could find about Kova and Rychengolls. Imam settled near him and was soon reading along side the young surgeon. Carolyn paced. Johns watched then began pacing too. The Doctor crouched in a corner; similar to what Billy had done the night before.

Riddick hovered near the door now, watching out for signs that the mercs were coming back for them. With how their insane captor acted he had no doubts that they would be fetched sooner rather than later. He wondered what, exactly, she wanted them for. His eyes settled on the other creatures in the other cells, noting that each of them must have some way of being remotely fed. They were not, just as Simon had noticed. The bronze skinned man spun away from the door, "Doctor, we need a plan."

"No." The Time Lord stood up and marched into the center of the room, "Richard, you must focus on getting the others out of here. Let me deal with Ms. Chillingsworth and her little Junner, all right?"

"Absolutely not. I will not let you go this alone. Fry or Johns can pilot. They can get the others to safety. I'm sticking with you, like it or not."

"Now wait a tick here," Carolyn cut in, "I think we should stick together, as far as possible. In fact I think we should try to get back to the TARDIS and get the fuck out of here, as a unit. I'm with Rich."

"This is not up for debate," the Doctor said.

River cleared her throat, "No, it's not. We have all decided where to cast our dice, Storm. We won't leave you."

The hairless gent stared at her, then at Simon, who nodded. Each of the others got a look in turn and each gave a nod. He dropped his head and made a motion like he was trying to squeeze himself down. Riddick stepped up behind him, "We all know that something is going on here. You more than the rest of us, of course. But we trust you. Let us do our part." The taller man tilted his head and then nodded. Bronze hands came up to brush his arms, "So, plan?"

"We find out what our hostess wants with me, and improvise from there."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Junner rose to consciousness, aware of the scratches, the bites and bruises, the various aches and pains, that marked the day after one of his mistress's truly enthusiastic evenings. The smell of moisture hangs in the air, along with the sound of running water. He can feel the heat of the heavier air puffing across his sensitive exposed skin.

He carefully realigned his limbs and worked the stiffness away before attempting to see if she had kept him restrained, only to find that he was not. But then, he's so habituated to it, the fact that she likes to touch but not be touched, that he does not ever move once the encounter begins. He sits up. There's breakfast waiting. Quite considerate of his captain, really. "Mistress?"

She steps out of the shower, draped in something thin but absorbent. She is all business today, "I approve of the promotion you presented last night, Junner. Harley will fill the post well." She picks up a cut crystal glass and sips at the thick glowing greenish fluid inside, "Eat. I need you to keep up your strength, after all." There's a flirt included with the order.

He turns his attention to the food, now that he's been given the explicit permission to eat, "I wonder if the captives would be easier to handle after a few days of no activity in the holding cells."

"Um. I will consider that. I still think that I want to speak with the Doctor, without his companions. But there's enough danger in doing so that it wouldn't be the wisest course of action." She lets the towel fall and slips on a dress. "I wonder if one of his party would safer? No. I think I'll wait until this evening at the least, Junner. The Shrill have been complaining about sharing the air with their enemy. Isn't that amusing?"

He smirks at the observation, "Yes, mistress. Do you plan on meeting any of their demands?"

She laughs, "They are_ guests_, Junner. I've told them that I will do what I can."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

She had moved. The new location was much safer than the old one, but harder to move in and out of. As soon as her Doctor was safely out of range of the vortex energies, she jumped from the original drop off point to a floor above, just below the flight deck where a number of other crates were stacked. She would blend in here. She informed her Time Lord of the change and got back an affirmative with a feeling of approval. She then sent to him her worry about the state of his internal defenses against the Dalek parasite. He didn't quite brush her off, but he did say for her to not worry, that it was holding for now.

The TARDIS checked on the third 'fire child' and despaired at his condition. He might not be sane now. She tried appearing to him, as he was able to pick up her telepathic call. It was like stepping into a cyclone of fire, so lost was he. All that was there was blackness and flame. It was as if he had been consumed by his element. But there must be something left or he'd have died already. She searched his mind, trying to find what was left of _him_. She made her contact and entrance into his mind gentle, but he was apparently quite sensitive.

_Who are you Aether_? Came the chilling roar of his mental voice.

She paused, taking on a material form inside the fire that was one of a young woman, fairly pretty with dark hair. She wore a soft golden yellow dress, patterned after an eyelet sundress that one of the Doctor's companions used to wear. Her feet are bare, but she holds a pair of wedge heel sandals in one hand. This mental image was pattered after a mix of Sarah Jane Smith and Dorthee 'Ace' McShane. It was how the Doctor saw her when they spoke 'face to face' in certain areas of the TARDIS or inside his mind. _I am Verity_.

All she can see is the flames, licking away from some hidden fuel as they attempt to cast light on a horrible darkness that simply sheds anything cast upon it._ Truth? Reality? There is none. A figment of my dementia, then. What do you want, Verity_?

She shook her dark brown tresses. Here in the mind of an ally, or what would have been one before his capture, she has form. _Can't you see me, Fire-Child? Am I not here, speaking to you_?

He ignores the questions. _I was a Tesh of Fury, one of the molders of our weapons. Now I stand with a plague that says "Furyan: Killer of Men" below my feet. I still feel like a Tesh. Why do these people see me as a Furyan warrior? Besides, those we killed were no longer men but brainwashed agents of Davros in human form. Are you here to make judgement upon me, Candor_?

She has to think about that. Or is she here to act on behalf of the Red Guardian? She hadn't pondered that when she first arrived. _Not judgement, no. My twin carries that task, not I. I seek only to bring justice where it is lacking. The Time War is all but over. Don't you believe that you deserve to be free_?

He manifests before her, a huge nude man with flames for hair, his skin blackened by the intense burn of his aura. _No_.

She sends out to him her questioning, leaving it unspecified.

_I am no longer sane. Odd that I know this in my insanity, isn't it? But I do know it. I would act without reason, attacking my rescuer, even if I could recognize him. I would rather the bliss of death than the freedom of life, Verity. But I sense that I shall not have it_.

_There you are wrong, Tesh of Fury. My twin will grant you your desire, as it is just. He walks with Pain's champion, besides Time, as her will. We came here to set this right. You have no crime to account for_.

_Will I taste honey_?

_Yes_. She can tell that this fire-child will not mesh with the others, not at all.

The man's insanity became more pronounced as he grinned and then broke into wild laugher, _We win!_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The tall man with the white lab-coat and sword-n-gun sheath walked into the prison bay. The Shrill flashed at him; "Atmospheric scrubbers are online to recycle your air separately. Additional cooling units will be delivered in a few hours." The Shrill went quiet in the sense of their colors, turning to flash with more subdued tones at each other. He moved past them, a squad of mercs in tow. "Commander Harley, please set up the privacy screen."

"Yes Sir." The pale-blonde gray-eyed woman instructed the crew of twenty to begin placing pylons for the additional energy field.

The Doctor moved up to the door, with Billy and Rich to either side. Fry, River, and Imam held back Ali and Jack while Simon flipped the toilet unit back into the wall before joining them. "So then, what happens now, Mr. Junner?"

"That depends on you, Doctor." Junner eyed him over. Something was different about The Time Lord but the_ Kubla Kahn_'s second couldn't place what it was. Well, he didn't have his jacket, which had surprisingly enough, nothing in the pockets at all, much to his mistress's anger. Not that it was his problem. He didn't care one way or another about the man's pockets.

The oddly hairless fellow, slightly shorter than Junner, raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm listening."

There's a pause before the privacy field kicks in with the mercs and their commander on the outside of it. Then Junner looks over Riddick and Johns before addressing the Doctor. "Antonia Chillingsworth has no complaints against your bodyguards Doctor, in spite of the fact that you are a trespasser on her ship. I could, of course, do an identity match on them. I wonder what I would find?"

The threat hangs in the air for a moment. "No reason for that. These gentlemen are under my pay just as you are under your _mistress's_ pay. Really, that's all you need to know."

"She has assumed as much, and thus is quite willing to let them go, as they have no value to her. But it's not going to be that simple is it? They won't just let me take you out of here, will they?" He is watching the bronze man in particular, the knife fighter. Junner suspects that if anyone has a relationship with this man similar to the one he has with his captain that it will be the broadly shouldered man.

Riddick growls at him.

That's conformation enough. He smirks. "A bit possessive, isn't he, Doctor? Does he fuck as well as he fights?" Junner is not looking at the reaction he's getting from the Time Lord, but instead is fully focused on the ex-ranger. "Think we'll get a demonstration between the two of you of his skill that proves it one way or the other?" There's another warning growl, but it's ignored. "Perhaps he prefers the blonde? Or, the dark-haired girl? Maybe a boy? You do have two of them."

The bronze man make a lunge at the tall, wiry man in the white coat, swiftly enough that Junner steps back away even though there's a force field between them. It takes the fellow in the green shades a second to realize that the Doctor has turned and placed both hands against the other man's chest and stopped him. The ex-ranger's deep voice rumbles, "I'm going to kill you." He's unable to move to the door, but his goggled eyes can't hide the feeling that this is a promise, a vow, directed at Junner for his words.

The tall white-skinned man cocks his head; "Can I fuck you first?" This on top of the rest of the implied threats causes the Doctor to spin and surge at him, looking like he knows exactly how to slip through the energy field. And, in fact, the Time Lord does. He can't push all the way through, but he can open a hole enough for his cuffed hands to breach it. The sensation of pain is nothing compared to the agony he's living with from the parasite. He mentally adjusts the energy flow around his arms to catch the edge of his aura instead of jumping through his nerves.

Junner can't move fast enough to avoid the strong cold fingers the close around his neck with a vice-like grip. He's has the random thought that perhaps he's pushed too far. He can see the black dragon that marks the man's inner right forearm and is aware that it pulses with linked energy, being made up of advanced technology that uses nano-bots and microscopic circuitry. He has about a split second to take this in before his body comes alive with shocking violent pain exploding across his awareness. He can't breathe. The Doctor pulled the taller, thin man into the field, hard enough to knock the wind out of him. The energy of it wracks his body with a thousand bursts of pain.

If the alien feels any of them, it doesn't show. The expression on his chiseled face is ugly, terrifyingly so; "Anyone who so much as _leers_ at my companions will face my wrath. And it won't be pretty. You don't want to know what I'll do if they are _touched_ or _violated_ in any way." The white complexioned man becomes aware that he has another reason for his inability to take in air, the pressure on his windpipe applied by two sets of extremely strong, cold fingers that could with a slight shift just snap his neck. "Am I understood?"

Junner brings his gloved hands up onto the wrists that are like corded metal cable. This being grasping him is unbelievably strong. There's no way to even lift a finger off his throat. "Am." The force field comes into contact with his body, and then he's lifted away from it "I." He's dazed but can't fight as the grip brings him back into contact with the source of pain, holds him there for a beat longer, and lifts him away again. It's like being ducked into a pail of water. "Understood?" the Doctor finishes giving the man a final shake into the security field. He looks like he might do it again and perhaps even pull him through into the cell. There's no telling what his two men will do if that happens. Junner doesn't want to find out either, and manages a nod. "Go tell your _mistress _that I insist on a face to face talk because you can't keep your genitalia to yourself." With that Junner himself sprawled on the floor, gulping cool air into his burning lungs.


	10. Part Ten Wishes

**A/N**:_ Last time we left Junner he'd managed to dig himself a deep pit that might function as his grave, question is, who will be the one to end him? I think the Doctor will let Richard have the honor, not to say that he won't enjoy seeing the man get his just reward.  
MeOtherWriter, BalrogsBreath, and My Reflection: thank you for the reviews.  
cdallas, thank you for the favorite story/ story alert. keight-T thank you for the story alert.  
Notice that I have not said that this Furyan found here is the one to complete the box, but rather that he's in an unjust situation that the TARDIS feels needs correction. Look closely and you might see who really would be the one to help the Doctor. I've already given some hints. And don't worry, River is not going to be outnumbered here._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Ten

Wishes

Verity, the form of a dark haired, fairly pretty, young woman that the TARDIS could take, came to the Doctor in his dreams mostly, although she was usually with him in other ways. Her mental bond with the Time Lord was so strong that it transcended that of normal time capsule–pilot bonds. They were much closer than most of their ilk had been. Two halves of the same soul, perhaps? Or perhaps it was just that they thought alike, and could feel each other's emotional states after nearly a thousand years of being partners. She suspected that their 'conception' within the Looms of Gallifrey had happened at the same moment, making them 'Twins' within the planetary womb. Whichever the case, they had both survived; held together by the strength of their ties, within the grace that was the Doctor's will. He had refused to give up at that critical moment, and she had rejoiced at his decision.

But the Time War had not eliminated the stamp of the Time Lords on the 'Verse. It was still there, faint embers of what had been. To find an ally in the state she'd located the Tesh in was beyond heartbreaking. Although he seemed calm enough at first, the more used to her he became, the more erratic and disjointed his ramblings were. He delighted in seeing her emotions because he had given up on his own, and he cared little if the display was positive or negative as long as it was intense and strong. Thus he provoked her as much as possible, honing in on the correct buttons to push to make her upset, distraught, and angered. And try as she might she wasn't able to keep the feelings from spilling into her link with the Doctor.

The timing could have been better though. Her distress about the Furyan's mental state was enough to pull the Time Lord out of his jealous rage and plunge him into a murderous one. Upsetting the TARDIS was quite hard to do, and in this case both of them were teetering on the brink already. Neither had even begun to deal with the war, or their losses. The ignored grief was like a raw wound for Time Lord and TARDIS alike. But she hadn't planned on his reaction to her feelings. He was like a force of nature spinning wild, and her emotions were like power for the storm the brewed inside him. He needed to vent some of this excess energy.

But Verity was more concerned with the physical pain he was inflicting on himself in his effort to strangle the man under his fingertips. This alarmed her further. It was like he didn't care about the agony flowing through his nerves. She alerted him to the pain shooting up his arms from the force field and beseeched him into pulling them back into the cell as the object of his anger scrambled to his feet and scurried out of the privacy barrier with a hurried pause to straighten his glasses. _Doctor you must calm yourself_.

_You brought me here because they had one of our allies_, he thinks to her. His emotions spilled into the link. She knows it is not directed at her. She sends him the information about the ship, how it's laid out, what technology it uses, and where this individual is being kept. Then she shows him the other Furyan's mental state. Belatedly she realizes that perhaps that had been a mistake. Letting him know she wants to help him, the TARDIS begins relaying to him how the cryo-system of the _Kubla Kahn_ works.

If it weren't for _Amadak_ grabbing him, her Time Lord would have injured himself by taking out his aggression on the cell wall. She's never seen him this angered before. Filled with despair, delirious with grief, calmly chillingly determined, perhaps, but never this enraged. Her Doctor shakes off the restraining hands and glares at the offending individual. It is Riddick. The ex-ranger knows this depths of anger. He's felt it often enough himself, actually. There's no easy way to calm the man, but he needs to try. "Don't. I have no idea what has gotten you so pissed off, Doctor, but whatever it is, don't take it out on me." Rich is very tempted to force the Time Lord into a corner and make him take a time out.

The Time Lord catches himself before he strikes out at someone that he knows will take it the wrong way. His ship tries to sooth him, and he knows she understands, no matter how shocked she might be, "Let's just say that Ms. Chillingsworth crossed _that_ line, the one few of my enemies manage to find let alone step over. I warned her and she didn't listen."

"What? Because her lap-dog threatened to stick his dick where it doesn't belong?" Of course Richard doesn't know about the other Furyan being held aboard the _Kubla Khan_.

The Doctor shakes his head, "Not that, no. That falls on Junner's head. I won't stop you next time." He decides to not mention the information about their hostess's rather unique fetish.

The ex-ranger was in awe over the sheer power that he could feel radiating off the tall pale gent. Once he'd managed to keep the man from breaking his own hand, wrist, or arm against the solid bulkhead, and avoided getting punched for his trouble he noted that it really made him _like_ the Doctor. He already knew that he trusted and needed the alien, but to have his emotions ping against something so familiar and come back unscathed… that was new to his experience. The need was evolving into respect at the very least. Then Johns spoke up.

Johns has been listening and watching. He's pretty sure that something else is going on with the Doctor. Then again, he had said that his ship was alive. Maybe it told him something? Whatever it was, the marshal is certain that the white-haired bitch is in a heap of trouble. He won't get between the Time Lord and his target. No sir. He's been on the receiving end of the man's anger too many times already. But Junner is another issue; "Can I shoot 'im?" Billy asks. Both Riddick and the Time Lord look at him. "Well?" The question seems to cast a bit of humor, a bit dark perhaps, but humor all the same, over the situation. The wrath seems to leech out of the Time Lord, leaving him with a chilling hard edge that makes Johns shiver if he looks too close at it.

Sidetracked from his thoughts, Rich shrugs, "If you wanna."

"Yeah, I want to… in the stomach. Not to kill 'im, mind. I'll leave that to you," the redhead, for all his teasing, figured that Rich and the Doctor were his to torment and didn't exactly approve of Junner's moving in. "Hey, how did you breach the energy barrier?"

The Time Lord raised an eyebrow, "I can see the individual lines of it and seeing as all living things have their own energy, William, I just encouraged it to flow around my arms. But before you ask -- no. I can't use the same trick to step out. It take a tremendous amount of willpower to even push my arm through."

"So – Nah. I don't think I want to come under your ire again. Look, if anyone tries to molest any of our party I'm with you both that they need to die."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Antonia took the news fairly well. Truth be known, she'd been a bit worried when Junner's bio signal had spiked into the 'danger' range. To teach him to not scare her, he was currently being punished. She'd leave him where he was hanging and meet with the Doctor. Now she just had to figure out where. The conservatory was her favored place for this sort of thing, but she disliked bringing in mercs as it sullied her precious work. That left the prison cells, which was not her favorite place. To go there would be below her, and she was determined to not stoop to his level.

So where else could this meeting take place? She decided on one of the smaller conference rooms, used to prep the mercs that were pulled out of cryo. Stat Room Three had a built in security screen. It would work for this. She contacted the head of the merc squad, "Commander Harley?"

The intercom crackled, "Yes, Madam?"

Chillingsworth smiled, "Set up stat room three, positioning a squad of your best, and escort the Doctor and one of his minions there. Tell him I'm willing to have that 'face to face' with him.

"Yes, Madam. Do you want him restrained for your arrival?"

"His current binds should be sufficient with the armed presence, commander. Inform me when all is ready."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They waited. Really there wasn't much to do in the cell, plain as it was. Only the toilet and the doorway interrupted the even whitish walls. Johns had returned to pacing. Carolyn had joined Simon and Abu and was reading. River, Jack, and Ali had turned their lesson into a game. Richard had returned to his post at the door, but because of the extra energy barrier could see nothing past it. He suspected that the block was for the Shrill's comfort, not theirs.

The Doctor was leaning against the wall, just behind where Riddick was crouched, with his eyes closed. To anyone watching it looked like he was perhaps resting, but in reality he was hard at work planning the end of this reign of terror that the _Kubla Kahn_ was holding. The Time Lord had spent plenty of time, over various lives, in prison cells. He'd dealt with egomaniacs before. By the time he was done with this one, no one on this ship would dare cross him again, unless they were very stupid.

Not to say that they might all be brilliantly smart.

_Hey, Thete_?

The Doctor opened his eyes, _Looks like our hostess decided to play the game, eh, Amadak_? The thought got a nod as Richard had stood at the ready when the first merc stepped inside the privacy barrier. Shortly, there was an even dozen, and one woman stepped forward. She wore a pseudo-military styled outfit, with combat boots, and suspenders. Her pale blonde hair was held back with a headband and was caught into a ponytail. "Ah, Commander Harley, I believe it is. What is going on?"

"The boss agreed to speak with you, 'face to face' just like you requested. She's even allowing you one of your own party to accompany you. Now, I'm going to treat you like you are a decent chap, and hopefully I won't have to shoot anyone," the platinum blonde said.

"And the others?"

"Been told to leave them be. Look, mister, I don't care what happened, or how it happened. All I care about is doing my job. Pick someone to come with you and let's go. The Boss doesn't like to be kept waiting."

The Doctor only hesitated a moment before saying, "Richard."

Commander Harley looked at the bronze-skinned man, "You're gonna be a problem, ain't you?"

"Not unless you force me to be," Riddick knows this drill. He puts his arms out and Harley drops the force field. The other guns train half on the individuals behind the two that they have been instructed to move and half on the pair being moved. Johns and Abu both stand in front of the others just in case the mercs decide to start shooting but none of the Doctor's group are foolhardy enough to try anything.

She unlocks the broken restraints and places new ones on the ex-ranger. Then she checks the Time Lord's cuffs and raises an eyebrow at the fact that they haven't been tampered with. "Awright, let's go. Nice and easy like."

Both men act reasonably, stepping out of the cell and pausing for her to reactivate the energy barrier. The remainder of the guns from her helpers immediately move to cover them. They decide that silence is the better part of valor here, both focusing on the ship and studying it as they are led out into new areas of it. The path they are taken down is still back halls, narrow and dimly lit. But unlike before they are being taken up into the main areas. Just before they reach the room that Antonia is meeting them in they catch a glimpse of the main hallway. The wide empty passage doesn't tell them much.

Harley ushers them into the conference room and behind an energy screen. "The Boss will be here shortly. Don't do anything stupid, huh?"

"What we do depends on Ms. Chillingsworth, commander," the Doctor tells her. "I consider myself fairly mild mannered, until I'm pushed." Harley believes it.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The owner of the _Kubla Kahn_ rarely showed her face to her employees. They knew her by the white hooded cloak she always wore. It was this that she entered the conference room in. The security screen ran down the length of the center table. The chairs were unoccupied, which didn't really surprise her. She let the garment covering her fold back into an elegant dress and looked at the two men who were watching her. "I took the liberty of doing identity checks on your companions, Doctor. I got the most puzzling results. Most of these individuals with you don't have much of a record. A few come up as children and the children don't come up at all. The Imam has a history of good works although I expected him to be younger. Your current escort came up with quite an interesting record. I'm most anxious to share it with you." She glided over to the computer terminal and inserted a data card. She ignores the hard look she is getting from the Time Lord, as the records appear on the main wall screen. "One-point-one-two-five _million_ UD's for Richard B. Riddick," she says. "Coming out of Q9, PEF Aquila, that is fairly impressive. And according to this you escaped from there almost seven years ago. You've aged well."

The ex-ranger gives his best blank poker face. He's never even heard of Q9. It must be a prison station like Q4, Ursa Luna's 'Slam City'. These little double max stations are scattered all over the place, the remnants of the Company's science research programs. Slam City was based off of the Newtownian Institute's biological research branch. PEF? Psychological evaluation? That would fit with the Aquilan research thrust to make 'better' people. Although Richard knows that he would only be eight years old at the current time. So what the fuck is going on?

"The point you are trying to make, madam?" the pale hairless gent cuts in.

"I've spent the latter half of my life in this line of work, Doctor. I specialize in keeping dangerous elements away from civilized space. It just figures that you, with the reputation you've gained, would hang about with madmen, murders, and thieves…"

The Doctor scoffs. "My, what a hypocrite you are. Sending fifty lives to their end just so you could get your jollies off. Oh don't look so self-righteous. I know exactly what you did in that bay after we were escorted out, Antonia."

Riddick can tell that Thete hit his mark dead on. How the man had known what she was about was a mystery to him, as he had not spent that much time considering her motivations. But it was clear that the Doctor had spent a fair amount of time thinking about that. The white haired woman looked scandalized, as if the words handing in the air were the most offensive things she had ever heard. There's quite a long pause as she tries to figure out how to salvage the situation to her advantage. "Regardless, Doctor. You requested this little chat, and insulting me will not resolve anything."

He's going to give her one final chance to see reason before he unleashes his rage on her. "Let us go, and I might see fit to leave you and your little enterprise functioning. I've already warned you."

There's a tinkling laughter, "Such humor. You act as if you have the advantage here. I'm sure it hasn't passed your notice that I'm the one in control of this situation, not you."

"Look again, Antonia." The Doctor leans over the table on his side of the energy field; "Did your crew ever find that Furyan bomb? No? Believe me, I will use it."

She froze and then checked the readouts. "You are bluffing."

"I never bluff. Your Dalek allies should have shown you that." The Doctor stood quite sure of himself.

Antonia Chillingsworth called in the mercs again, "Take them back to their cell. Search them all. Look for a remote detonator."

"Yes, Madam," Harley replied.

"There's no remote, Antonia. It's a mentally triggered bomb set to my brainwaves. There's no way to stop me, should I decide to blow it up. Really, wouldn't it be easier to just let us go?" He really wants her to be reasonable, but he knows already that she won't be. He has yet to meet a foe with her characteristics that has been sensible when confronted with the truth that they didn't want to see.

The _Kubla Kahn's_ owner ignored him, "Take some of the Shrill and have the search the sector where the Doctor was found. Find that bomb."

"Touch any of my companions, and I will wipe your ship out of existence, am I clear on that?" He called upon the TARDIS to funnel him a portion of the energy to do what he needed to do next. Verity tried to talk him out of it, telling him that the use of their shared power would strengthen the parasite. Besides his body was still damaged from the Time War, even with the regeneration. This would weaken him further. It scared her, that he was willing to risk himself like this. _Just this one time, I promise_, he acknowledged her fear, _I must do this or she'll never stop_. It was the only way to get his point across that Antonia had no idea what she was dealing with. Verity agreed with his point and began feeding him a line of their capability to manipulate time itself. She just hoped that it didn't kill him in the process.

That made Antonia hold up her hand to stop the mercs, "Excuse me?"

"I'm the _Last_ of my kind. That secret power the Daleks were looking for, Ms. Chillingsworth, I hold. You want to test me on this?" The woman locked eyes with him. Defiant and disbelieving, Antonia didn't think he could do anything to her. She was wrong. The Doctor delved into her mind and aged her to the point that she looked all of her eighty-three years. Her skin wrinkled and spotted. Her hair turned brittle. Her brilliant green eyes clouded over. She raised on aged hand, glanced at it and then frantically moved over to the shiny surface that would function as a mirror. She was _old_. This shocked her and set her to shaking. He reversed it before speaking again, "Do you? I can make that permanent."

She shook her head, "Don't bother to search them, Commander."

They were escorted out into the hall and back toward the cells, leaving a much less sure owner of _the Kubla Kahn_ behind. Riddick was watching the Doctor closely. He was heating up again, so whatever it was he had tapped into to pull that last trick hadn't been healthy for him to do. It was when Commander Harley stopped and ordered her men to pick up floor pads and blankets for the group that the Time Lord's knees gave way. Rich didn't even stop to think about it, he just caught the gent and picked him up.

The seven mercs without their hands full pointed weapons at him. Harley brushed her men off, "It's not like he can attack you if he's carrying someone. I don't think it's a problem here. Lets go."


	11. Part Eleven Improvement

**A/N**:_I want to thank xmenloganfan for the review and the Story Alert. I must express gratitude to my other reviewer, OtherMeWriter, and story alert reader, Delphine Pryde.  
Um… The Doctor never does stupid things, right? He'll make a recovery (of course he will, he's still got a lot of ground to cover here), and those around him will start paying even more attention to when he starts to do something rash, at least until they know that the problem is taken care of.  
Me and my suddenly busy life, eh? Sometimes I hate my job. Thankfully it's only going to be for a few weeks._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Eleven

Improvement

Simon had, uncharacteristically, joined Carolyn and William in their pacing after the Doctor and Riddick were removed from the cell. He'd given River and the boys his padd and they were with Imam learning something. He couldn't really make himself focus on what they were doing. He could feel that River was concerned too, but that the task of instructing the two boys was keeping her busy.

"Gawd – I feel like a rat in a cage." Fry said.

"Might be because we are like rats in a cage," Johns replied as they passed one another.

"That doesn't help."

The marshal shrugged, "Not meant to. What's bothering you Doc?"

There were many things about the current circumstances that bothered him, but the one that he couldn't ignore was the fact that the Time Lord was not well, and the stress he was being placed under weakened him. His understanding of the alien physiology was limited at best, geared toward emergency situations. This did not include coping with parasitic energy beings, nor captivity. All it would take for the current happenstance to spiral out of his ability to handle was the gent being exposed to the wrong chemical family. So he was pacing. He really hoped that they hadn't been taken to a medical bay. Acetylsalicylic acid was just as widely used now as it had always been. "I'm just concerned about what is going on away from here. My medical mind is conjuring up all sorts of negative situations."

"Heh. Sometimes it's the shits being genius-smart, ain't it?" the redhead replied.

"Yes." Simon had to agree. The pacing went on much longer in silence then, and somehow Imam managed to not strangle any of them. That might have been because of his prayer beads that were clicking through his fingers.

The Tam scion was just turning on his heel to head back toward the doorway when Richard and the Doctor returned. The Time Lord was cradled in the goggled man's arms and he looked overly pale with the russet color on his skin showing in stark contrast. The younger doctor had to keep himself from dashing forward until the mercs backed out. He could tell even from a distance that the man was overheated again, limp, but he seemed to be breathing all right. That was in their favor at least.

"You, priest. Come get this stuff and haul it inside the cell," Abu was instructed. He moved to pull the mats and blankets into the room for them. The merc commander tried to keep her men focused on the holy man. Meanwhile the redheaded marshal was doing his best to keep their attention on him. While the Imam was following her order, Rich kneeled down near one wall and propped the unconscious pale man up, fairly unobserved by the hired guns. They currently seemed to view Johns as the threat.

Only after the mercs had left them alone again did River and Simon dare approach. The first thing the Tam scion noticed was that the aura around Richard and the Doctor was like a lightning storm, although the boiling foam around the Time Lord looked a little thin. "What happened?" Simon pulled out his medical scanner. The initial scan showed no reason for the Doctor's state. He adjusted it to look for symptoms.

Riddick looked at him, "Fuck if I know, Doc. I mean, he pulled this little trick and aged our hostess until she looked like a mummy and then reversed it. I suppose that with his attack on Junner that he's just over exerted himself." The ex-ranger maintains his contact with the Doctor by instinct.

The Tam scion sure hoped it was something so simple. His fears centered on poison but the scans were showing no sign of that, "He internal temperature is rising again. It's up almost eight percent." The bronze complexioned man nodded. He knew this already.

River kneeled down and took the Time Lord's hands, "It's escaping our enclosure." Both men looked at her. Simon could tell that she was pushing her aura into the pale hairless gent's, strengthening it. "We need to trap it again."

"I'm not sure how, seeing as we are missing sides still," Riddick said to her.

Johns settled down and looked at them, "What is going on?"

The dark haired young doctor placed his hand over the linked ones of his sister and the Time Lord, ignoring the marshal for the moment. To the bronze ex-ranger he said, "We improvise. Whatever it takes to save him, _dong ma_?"

Richard nodded, "It's nothing you can help with Billy. Just let us do what we need to do."

"That aside, I'd still like to know what is going on. Our 'captain', for want of a better term, is down and that impacts all of us."

This was true, as far as things went. They had all begun to take their cues from the Doctor, and his being injured was a bad thing. Dr. Tam looked at the redhead, "Bring over a mat and some blankets, please. I'll try to explain but I'm not sure how believable it's going to sound." While Johns stepped away to get Simon what he asked for, Riddick fixed the young man with a glare. "There's no need for that expression, Richard. The Doctor needs you, and no one can alter that." The goggled man's face relaxed until his blue-eyed-devil returned then the glare came back fixed on the redhead. Billy ignored it. "At some point, River was infected with a bio-chemical energy-based parasite. I believe this happened while she was at the Academy." The dark haired girl nods in agreement. "Remember how River was when we approached the TARDIS?"

"Yeah, that was creepy, with her silently crying and the tears frozen to her face." William said. Behind him Carolyn and Abu were both listening to the conversation. River shivered at the reminder and turned her attention to the Doctor, tuning out the rest of Simon's explanation.

"Apparently the parasite sits dormant until it is 'awakened' by certain power fields produced by ships like the Doctor's. My medical scanner can't pick it up, even with it active like it is now. It's a hybrid weapon designed to kill individuals like the Doctor, although I still don't know why it infected River. Somehow the parasite made a partial transfer before we escaped that planet. Three days ago the Doctor 'cured' River by removing all of it from her. This, of course, means that he is infected with it. The only way to stop this 'doomsday agent' from killing him is to mentally contain it. Whatever it was that the Doctor did strengthened the parasite and weakened himself." He looked at Johns to see if that explained enough to him. The marshal nodded. "Now we should get the Doctor onto a mat. Will you lift him, Richard?"

The ex-ranger scooped up the unconscious man and allowed Simon to place a mat under him. Then he watched as Simon spread a blanket over his legs and placed another one behind his head.

While Simon is tending to the Doctor's physical comfort, Fry frowns. "That is not good," Carolyn said. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Not that I know of at this point, unless you can see auras, or possess some latent telepathic or empathic power."

She shook her head, "No. Sorry. I almost wish I did have some hidden ability like that. I didn't think this sort of thing was real, before I met you guys."

Abu cleared his throat, "Why would anyone create such a thing? It sounds extremely specific and targeted."

"War," Johns replied. "It's a weapon of the last ditch, must-win-somehow, crowd from a war. And I bet the creatures behind it are related to the Shrill, judging by the Doctor's reactions to them and their reactions to him."

"Can we do this now?" Riddick said. Simon nodded and closed his eyes. After a few moments the bronze skinned man tilted his head downward, indicating that he too was mentally elsewhere.

"War. Such a simple sounding word for something so horrific," the Imam says. "Perhaps we could pray?"

Jack watched River, Simon, Richard, and the Doctor for a moment, a pensive look on his face, "Why did he do any of that, I mean, the Doctor knew he was weakened, right?"

Johns, Fry and Imam all looked at the boy who was chewing on his lip. Finally the marshal said, "Because he'd rather take the risk onto himself if it can save someone else, then to lose those he cares for, Jack. That includes us."

Carolyn reached over and hugged the boy. He buried his face into her shoulder and shivered with suppressed sobs. "It's gonna be awright, Jack," she murmured into his hair, rocking him slightly. "I know you're scared, but we will make it out of this." Ali moved up and put a hand on honey haired boy's back, lending silent support.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Commander Harley and her merc squad enlisted three Shrill to assist in the search. This broke down to one shrill and four mercs per search party. Her current group consisted of three medium-skilled gunners and a cool toned Shrill. The translation device was flashing type at her that indicated the Shrill's complaints with the heat here. "I know it's hot, but the equipment won't function under lower temperature ranges. The faster we cover this sector the sooner you get to return to your cooler habitat."

The black haired brawny merc to her right scanned with a sensor sweep, "I'm not picking up anything. No abnormal energy readings at all."

She growled. This was a waste of fucking time. "Are you looking for the unique tri-wave pattern?"

"No Sir. Should I be?"

"Of course not! The bomb only tipped the ship's sensors off the chart with them. We don't need to be using that to search for it do we?"

The man swallowed. "Oh. Right."

"Listen, asshole. I gave you the scanner because you said you knew how to use it. I'm low on patience at the moment, crawling through methane tainted air to find a bomb that could blow the ship to kingdom come, and I don't really need to be thinking about shooting you. So do your fucking job and scan for the correct energy patterns."

"Yes Sir."

Ahead of her the Shrill indicated a right turn. She tugged the man's sleeve, "And keep up with us."

"Yes Sir."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The place the Doctor was in was recognizable. There was ground and buildings, multi-ethnic on a universal scale; beside his feet ran the smallest trickle of water through the ruins that burned as far as he could see. The sky was filed with smoke, although he wasn't bothered by it at ground level. He glanced at his hands and immediately realized what was going on. There on his finger was his ever present blue stoned ring. He'd not thought of that ring in years. He's pretty sure that the TARDIS moved it into his first bedroom, though. It was just too easy to become sidetracked in this form. What was going on again? Oh right, the parasite was trying to force him into giving in by denying him the ability to fight back.

This then must be his mental landscape. While it was real, this scene, someplace he'd really seen in this state, it didn't have to be this way. Only he lacked the energy to change it. He sighed. All Thete could see was raging fire, ruins, parched earth, and smoke. The parasite was overtaking him, wearing him down, burning him out. He was not going to give up though. He couldn't die like this. The self-image he wore inside his own head, and others too when he made contact with them in such a manner, usually looked like his outer body, when he took a humanoid form at all. He preferred the surging energy of the Oncoming Storm to any small humanoid body. The parasite forced him into one, however, and the man that stood among the ruins was the one with the weakest psychic power. The old Doctor's shoulder length white hair framed his sharp featured face, while his tattered clothes only barely resembled an outfit he'd once worn.

River had begun to flow into the Time Lord's mind. She found the elderly white haired man from the photograph with surprising ease. His clothing gave him a tattered defeated look, but his eyes were alive and defiant. Then she realized – the old man in the photograph by her bed in her room on the TARDIS was the Doctor. He had known Susan Campbell. She rushed to him, wanting to protect him from the flames. This was still the man she knew, her storm, even if he wore another face.

Suddenly there was a flood of water at his feet, the tiny flow, unnoticed, had become a mighty river of liquid cutting through the burning landscape. He stepped into it, walking down a gentle bank and submerging himself in his element. He emerged on the other side with straight black hair that fell onto his forehead and a different face entirely. Delighted, he laughed. _Hello, River_!

She was saddened to see the change, yet happy that he was healthier for it. _You look different_.

He nodded. He felt stronger now, by a measure. This old body was familiar to him, and mentally powerful although not as strong as some of his later forms. _My second body, this was. A good form for me; lasted very well in spite some of the things I put it through_. He patted himself down and realized that he lacked the extra-dimensional pockets in this ruined outfit.

_Simon is coming_.

_Yes, if he would just let himself flow here. Problem is the boy wants to blow his own way and will look every direction besides the right one before he arrives_.

River laughed like summer rain pattering against a window. _I like this form_.

_So did I. Had some fine adventures in it, met some great people. Even loved a few_. The man's rubbery face became downcast; _I knew a fine young man and several very intelligent young women back then. You would have liked Jamie and Zoe, I think_.

_What happened to them_?

_My peers sent them home, with their memories wiped, so that they didn't remember, couldn't remember, ever knowing me. Punished for trying to undo a horrible wrong. It wasn't fair to them, to take that away_.

Next to him appeared Verity, swathed in golden light. _Now don't get all sad, Doctor. You did get more time with Jamie, even if it was under the beck and call of the CIA. I think, in the end, nothing could alter what the lad knew in his heart. _

_I just miss him._

_Yes. You always will. Just like Richard. _

_Pah. Amadak is different._

Shaking her head, she hugged him; _I tried to warn you, Doctor. Look at what has happened_. She pulled back to reveal still yet another body, one that was tall with a silver mane of hair and a face dominated by a strong nose. His clothes switched to something similar to what River was used to seeing him in, a white tee and jeans.

_It's not so bad, Verity. I have helpers and support. We'll get through this_.

River materialized from the flowing water and looked at the woman with the golden aura. _You are the TARDIS._

_I am, Indeed. Hello, River._

Then Amadak appeared, pushing up from the ground. _Doctor?_

They turned to look at the ex-ranger. _Yes, Amadak. Don't worry, this is temporary. Come here._

The bronze-skinned man strode up and took the extended hand causing the tall form to become even taller, taking on a mass of curly brown hair. The toothy grin that the Doctor flashes at them indicates that he's starting to feel much more like himself, even if he is several lives mentally behind where he needs to be. The tee and jeans look positively odd on the man, like he's missing several layers, like a cat that has been shaved. In short, his head looks too large for his body this way. _Whoa, you're quite – tall_, Richard commented. He gains another toothy grin for the trouble.

Then Simon blew in. _You are hard to find_.

_Trying too hard I suspect, son_. Simon cocked his head at the unfamiliar man. _Oh, don't look at me like that. I'm the same person, just in a different body. _

_Doctor?_ The young man looks like he is flabbergasted.

_Who else would I be_?

The Tam scion moves up and hugs the very tall figure, ignoring the fact that the man is at least a head taller than he is in this form. He pulls back to find himself staring into brown eyes the color of River's only inside a boyish face topped by straight blonde hair. His expression must be amusing because the now shorter man (who still tops Simon's height by half a hand's width) gives him a smirk. _What -- ?_

_Each manifestation of the struggle I'm having with the parasite will take a different form. You might not see that it's being re-contained, but I assure you that as I move from one body to the next that it is being pushed back into a manageable area. This is number five, by the way. You are going to have to work together to force me through the other four remaining forms to get the parasite trapped. I can hold the current body, but I can't force myself to advance into the next._

River frowned, _How? _

_Trust your instincts._

Verity took the Doctor's hand in her own, turning him to face her. _Poison took this life, before. It broke you down. Yet you saved your companion. Simon, you must choose one person to assist you_.

The young doctor did not hesitate. _Richard._ He knew this was right. Riddick stepped up and ran a hand over the Doctor's arm. The man looked at him and smiled. Simon stepped up and took the Time Lord's hand away from the golden shrouded female. The opposing elements, Earth to Air, clashed and transformed the figure caught in the middle into a heavyset curly headed blonde. _Number six?_

He seemed dazed still, and the TARDIS took advantage of that to rush the change before he could open his mouth. _Yes,_ Verity stepped back in, pulling him into the flowing water. She then caught him in an embrace and placed her lips over his. He reacted without thinking, passionately responding to her touch as they usually did when there were no witnesses.

Richard watched the display and was surprised to note that it didn't make him jealous.

The Doctor shrunk down to River's height, although he was not nearly as slim. The Time Lord blinked rapidly at the dark brown headed woman, clearly shocked at the method she'd used. _It is not the first time I've done that to you, Thete_. He blushed.

_Verity! There are tender ears here that might not understand_.

She laughed, _Oh but they do. Simon and River are like us. Twins in soul if not in body. And your Amadak knows more than he remembers._

River joyfully laughed with the golden shrouded woman. She became rain, pulling Simon into the air. Together the pair of them engulfed the smallest form of the Doctor and he emerged smiling, his soft brown hair and lightly tanned skin offset by the most striking green eyes Riddick had ever seen. They were like seafoam, so light colored they were. He knew this man. The realization was like a blow to the gut. He knew this body.

_Amadak_?

Richard snapped his jaw closed. So this was what the Doctor had meant, about the man not being lost to him. He'd already suspected. Really he had. But the emotions flooding him right now are bewildering to him. He felt more than _like_ for this individual. It was more than security. They had experienced something together that built a bond between them that snapped back into place like it had never been gone. Suddenly he understood his instinct toward the Doctor. _Thete_.

_Help me, Amadak_.

_I'm gonna lose you again_. The pain is still raw that he's lived with all his life, never knowing why he felt it. Something ripped them asunder. He wished he could remember.

_No. I'll always be here. I've always been here. Who I am, who I've been, really it's all the same_. The man was finely boned, shorter than Simon, but so very powerful. The energy radiated off of him like he couldn't contain it. _Don't you still feel the same for me?_

The ex-ranger swallowed, _'Course I do. How can I not. Even if I don't remember everything, my heart does. This hurts, Thete. Why did we part?_

_The War. It took everything away from me. At the time when you disappeared I didn't question it. Maybe I should have_. The delicate face looks so heartbroken that Riddick immediately forgives him of whatever wrong that might have happened between them.

_Not everything. You have us_. And with that Amadak caught the finely chiseled face by the chin with one hand and tilted it upward, following his instinct, as he'd been told to do. _You have me_.

Somehow River understood to step up and embrace the man around the waist without him asking her too. Simon and Verity both came up and circled them from the sides. He searched those timeless pale green eyes and then leaned down to carefully kiss the perfectly formed lips. It was just supposed to be the slightest of slides with silk over silk, but the smaller man caught him by the shirt and deepened the contact, offering his mouth for the larger man to plunder. It's totally shameless. While Simon might be turning beet red, both Verity and River accept this as natural. The ex-ranger took the opportunity by pressing the advantage being offered to him. Still leisurely and gently, he explored the familiar cavern of the green-eyed Doctor's mouth. But the shift from the smaller form into the larger one shattered his restraint.

The scent of the man, the taste of him, exploded into Richard's awareness as passion and need entwined themselves into the contact. The kiss deepened and the two pulled themselves flush against each other as the Doctor's body changed into the one that was current. Richard settled his hands on the Time Lord's shoulders. Whatever he had possessed with this man in his younger form was nothing against how _right_ this felt, with Thete in this larger body. Ignoring the others would be all too easy even though they are touching him. He forced his hands to grip those broad firm shoulders to keep himself from going further than this single mental kiss.

It was just mental, wasn't it? Amusement flashes across the mind to mind contact. The previous images were blotted out leaving only the experience of the kiss. No, this is all too real. He can smell, taste, and feel every moment of this extremely physical contact burning itself into his being. And the other man, cooler against his own tongue, is actively participating, breathing for them both, extending the encounter. His body is alive with lightning tingles racing across him; more intense than anything he's ever recalled feeling. It's so _good_, so _right_; he never wants this to stop. Something shudders in his awareness, and he knows the parasite is contained again. It's almost orgasmic, or like a sneeze. It feels wonderful, but not exactly sexual. Certainly it bares repeating someday when the Doctor's life is not in danger.

He felt the large hands settle on his face, cool like they should be. They caressed his cheeks and the fingers slid apart as they reached around to stroke the back of his neck. He opened his eyes to find that he was forehead to forehead with the Doctor again. The ex-ranger could taste that intense flavor of honey, mint, cloves, and musk that was so unique to the Time Lord. It blotted out his own meaty-sweet taste that he'd become used to. They are still breathing on each other, so close that they can smell one another on each breath. His mouth tingled from the intense contact. Rich is not sure how to react. The kiss was amazing. But by the same token he never meant to actually do it. And Thete might not let him ever do it again. Riddick felt his cheeks reddening as he realized what he'd done. The Doctor's lips are tinged cinnamon and his pale skin is flushing across his cheeks and up into his ears, much as his own darker skin must be tinged with crimson. The coloration is not from being overheated, but it's impossible to tell if it is embarrassment or desire that is the cause.

Richard would pull away but for the long fingers keeping his head bent down. The Time Lord gives him a reassuring smile, slightly coy perhaps, but showing that he's not angered. The unspoken message is 'just be with me, here' and the ex-ranger can't deny it. He relaxed into the contact, _Sorry_.

The Doctor shakes his head slightly. _I place no blame, Amadak_.

_Not even if I want to do it again, and more besides_?

Words spoken aloud cut off any mental reply the Doctor might make to him, "Fuckin' about time. Now _that's_ what I call a goddamn kiss."

"Johns!"


	12. Part Twelve Crux

**A/N**:_ Hello again. Basia Orci, My Reflection, OtherMeWriter, Chibi of Many Names: Thank you for the reviews. I love that you approve, although I expect I will get some flames here for not giving any warning (Oh, like I haven't? Hello -- what have you been reading?). Notice that this will_ not _exclude Rose. The Doctor's life just won't be that simple. The man is used to having thousands of minds in contact with his own; so there is no way that he will ever have a 'human' relationship without things being quite complex. So Rose/Doctor shippers, don't despair. There's hope for that yet. As for Riddick's relationship with our favorite Time Lord – I'm building on the mystery. They knew each other either before or during and for some reason were separated._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twelve

Crux

William was really very glad he'd been watching. At first things seemed very – inert. The Tams knelt on one side of the prone form, their hands both touching each other and the Doctor's. Riddick was on the other side; his darker fingers curled around one pale wrist. All three of them, not including the passed out Doctor, seemed to be mentally elsewhere.

Behind him, the Imam led the boys and the docking pilot in prayer. It was quite easy for the marshal to tune out the faint Arabic mumble. The situation didn't change for a long time, and still the redhead watched. He hadn't expected it to be the Doctor moving that started the chain of events that led to – well – **The Kiss**. And really William had seen lots of folks snogging in his time. He should have felt shame, really, for blatantly staring at the display like a starving dog salivating over a butcher shop window display.

But how could he, with the raw, captivating emotions shining through every little movement. Simon and River have both settled back, seemingly still mentally away where ever they'd gone. But the young Doc's face is pink across his cheeks like he knows what is going on.

The shift of those bronze hands to grip the tee shirt clad shoulders. The unerring and sure movement of the freed pale hands into the black fabric of that wife-beater. They leaned forward so slowly that no one realized what was going to happen until it had happened. The soft contact was just so natural, no hesitation, no awkward angling, just the slightest of permissions granted to an unspoken question of what was allowed. And it seemed that nothing was off limits, although the Doctor let Rich take a dominant lead at first.

Then the encounter seemed to shift, like some part of the alien's personality snapped back into place. The pale hands released the fabric and ghosted up the muscular body, and Billy can see that the passage raised goose bumps over the broader man's richly tanned skin. Good lord, If he could witness something like this every day he'd give up chasing runners from the slams.

Riddick tightens his hold on the Time Lord's shoulders as the pale man begins to actively return the attention. Johns is fairly sure that the ex-ranger can't be breathing with the level of intense tongue-down the-throat kind of thing going on here. Yep, he should be feeling some shame right about now, but he can't muster any up as he keeps right on watching. There's the occasional flash of tongue as they shift, but Billy swears, he has never seen anyone, anywhere, keep up this level of -- extremely sexy -- profound osculation before. _What the fuck was wrong with him? He didn't swing that way. No. Ah hell, maybe he did? No. -- _The twin shudders that pass through the pair leads Johns to the conclusion that maybe, under the correct circumstances, that you could achieve release by lip locking._ Damn, didn't think you could do that by snogging_!

The intensity slowly lets up and then it's over, leaving the pair flushed and panting, clinging to each other (by Johns' estimation anyhow), and looking like the rest of the universe just doesn't quite exist. They are resting forehead to forehead, with the Doctor's pale hands holding the bronze complexioned head in place. Mind blown. Like the very first time he'd taken a hit of morphine and found the pain was gone. Or the time he'd gotten lucky with the neighbor girl after a school dance, under the bleachers out at the sport field. He almost feels like he's had a hit and is in that mellow lull before the crash when everything is golden. A slight shift however tells him exactly how much he's been impacted by the display. Before his brain can cut off his mouth he blurts out, "Fuckin' about time. Now _that's_ what I call a goddamn kiss."

"Johns!" Carolyn warns.

He glanced at her and laughed. She was beet red. "What's the matter, Fry? They got you hot and bothered?"

"Shut it."

"I know how that made me feel. You're just having a natural reaction."

"My natural reaction is to stick a fist up your nose."

"I'd settle for a tongue down my throat."

Imam shook his head, "That is enough, Mr. Johns."

The marshal had the grace to duck his head, "Sorry if I offended, all right? But you gotta admit that was spectacular."

The Doctor gently soothed the glare off Rich's face before saying, "Why, thank you William. It's nice to know that at my age I still have _it_." He let's the ex-ranger pull away. The man doesn't go far; taking the doctor's shackled wrists and showing him how to snap the chains. This time the Time Lord doesn't protest the property damage as he follows the example and there's an agreeable tinkle of metal as the bits of the chain bounce off the blanket and across the floor. Richard follows suit, and stands up.

When the Doctor moves to follow Simon tugs him back down, "No, you stay down. You've been under a terrible strain. Just rest."

The Time Lord looks over at Dr. Tam, "Doctor's orders?" There's an amused tease in that. The dark haired lad smiles and nods, taking the bit of moistened cloth from River and gently wiping the prone man's face with it. "Can I sit up?" Simon and River help adjust the mat and blanket so that the Doctor is once again propped up against the wall. The girl then tucks herself into the Doctor's side and pulls her brother down to sit with her. Simon doesn't protest.

Meanwhile Riddick has waked over to Carolyn and is standing behind her, his hands on her wrists. "Don't get any funny ideas, Billy. It's not what you think." The marshal smirks. Fry closes her eyes. She doesn't care what this looks like; she does trust Rich. "Ready for this?" She nods. "On three. One, Two, Three." They move just like the ex-ranger had done with the Doctor and the chain holding her wrists together pops into tens of pieces.

"So that's how you do it?" Johns had watched carefully, focused on the movement, not the positioning. He looked at his own cuffs and tried to see the flaw Richard had just exploited three times in plain sight. The marshal vowed to never use this type of cuff again.

Riddick walked over, "Shouldn't be showing you this shit, you realize that? But… I can't expect your help if I don't offer it myself."

Johns looked up at him, "I meant what I said, about taking up the Doc's offer, getting clean and letting you go. I'm gonna do whatever I need to do to make sure that no one ever bothers Richard B. Riddick again, because he died back on that planet, _dong ma_? I might even go into a different line of work, if things pan out. Maybe an inner system freight run, if I can find a willing pilot and partner." Carolyn rolled her eyes.

"I'll believe it when I see it, Billy," with that the con stepped behind the marshal and put his hands on the redhead's wrists. "The trick is this," He guides Johns through the movement, gently. "That little rotation delivered at exactly the right moment when you pull. You're strong enough to have snapped these by yourself if you'd tried."

William tilted his head, "Really? These are that fuckin' flimsy?" He practices the move under the bronze-skinned man's direction a few times, getting the rhythm down. This should be like riding a bicycle, something that you never forget once you learn.

"Yes. This is why they sell so cheap, and are used for standard lockdown by most mercs playing the field. Most hard cons can break them, because this one connection is too brittle. But it's not a trick shown in single max. You'll find no-daylight double max uses a different design."

"Since I've never been there… I wouldn't know one from the other, I suspect. Until now," He applied a bit more force this time and the chain holding his wrists together gave with a groaning pop. "Yeah, that's a severe design flaw," the marshal says as the chain bits bounce across the floor at his feet in a dozen different pinging sounds.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The privacy barrier for the Shrill blocked off the cell that the Doctor and his group were in. Junner had known it would, which was why he protested granting the Shrill that privilege. He was stiff and sore from Antonia's attentions. His mistress had come back from her 'face to face' looking stricken. She'd mumbled something about taking a rejuvenation soak, and had released him to supervise the search for the Furyan mine.

He had a feeling that they wouldn't locate anything remotely like a bomb. The readings they picked up earlier had stopped, even though the internal sensors had been repaired. More difficult to locate was the methane leaks. There had to be more than one, because the air in the sector still reeked of it even after the main cause was corrected.

The second was beginning to believe that his mistress had bitten off far more than she could chew. He'd never encountered a being that could reach through an energy barrier like the Doctor could. And quite frankly, he's unsure as to why the alien let him live, because had the situation been reversed, he would have snapped the offending party's neck if he had gotten his hands in position to do so. The Doctor's hands had been in position…

So while Junner was physically now helping comb the section of the ship where the readings indicated the mine hand come into the ship, and was finding that the bulkhead was breach free, the space empty, if smelly, his mind was on the Doctor and his cellmates. He was wondering how long his mistress was going to play this game, which she was currently losing, by his estimation.

He was also wondering what they had done to draw the legend of _Ka Faraq Gatri_ to them. He wasn't known to just pop up at random and make trouble. There had to be something the destroyer wanted that was making him play along, leading his captain through a careful maze of redirections, mirrors, and fog so that she thought she was one step ahead of him. Antonia was ruthless, smart, and ambitious… But she was neither a master strategic planner, nor the most observant of clue finders. It should have made her very wary when he reported the Doctor's ability to breach the energy fields. She should have denied the alien that confrontation. But then… logic wasn't her strong suit.

So what did the Doctor want? There had to be something. Not just this jabbing back and forth over whom was in charge, surely. He'd reacted strongly to the Shrill. Could that be it? No, he'd been surprised to see them. What else? He'd arrived about the same time as the Furyan technology. But Furya was a dead world. As far as he knew there were no living examples of that colony left. Wait. That was wrong. There was one. And his mistress kept him in her private collection for use in her 'performance' art because of his exacting proportions matched some obscure ideal of hers. Junner suspected that she just liked the feel of the man's hardened 'steel rod', but then who was he to complain?

His mistress was going to be very displeased if her favorite toy was taken away.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Simon passed out rations again, insisting that the Doctor take at least half a packet of hydration gel even if he didn't need to eat because of his high fever a few hours before. The Time Lord doesn't pitch a fit about being kept down, instead closing his eyes and actually resting. He's not sleeping really, just being still and calm after the exertion of so much energy.

As the lights begin to go down the other mats are set up. Richard chooses to place his closer to the door at the Doctor's side. Thete opens his eyes and then wiggles his shoes off. Now that they have blankets he can at least be comfortable. River and Simon set their mats up on the other side of the existing ones, farther away from the door. The dark haired lass unlaces her boots and then picks up the Doctor's shoes, loosening the laces so they can be slipped on quickly. She sets them at the edge of his mat just like her own are at the foot of her mat. The behavior reminds him a lot of his seventh self, really with how particular she is about placement and angle.

Jack wants to be with the Doctor too, but isn't sure how to approach the situation. Instead he sets up his mat near Ali and Imam then fidgets. The Time Lord's deep blue eyes open and fall on the green-eyed boy. Jack goes still and chews on his lip.

"Come here, young man," the pale hand extended toward him acts like a magnet to draw the boy over. Jack looks at Riddick. The bronze-skinned man has removed his goggles and is watching everyone. His glance at Jack is one of amusement over the boy's nerves.

"Don't want to be a bother," Jack says.

The ex-ranger sighs, "Come on, kid. It's no hassle." He pats the mat between he and the Doctor.

Jack gives Rich a grateful expression and crawls between the con and the Time Lord after removing his shoes. Jack settles in and catches the hand at the end of the arm that drapes over his shoulder. "You going to be OK, Sir?" he asks the pale man as he squeezes his fingers slightly.

The Doctor leaned toward the boy and hugged him loosely, "For the moment, Jack."

Over by Simon, Fry is setting up her mat, in the corner, so that Johns is forced to find someplace besides her to keep his butt warm. William smirks at Carolyn and winks at her scowl. He sets his mat up opposite Riddick's near the door to keep watch.

"I – please, don't do anything to make your condition worse, Sir. Please?" The boy looks up at him with tear filled eyes. When he got no visible reaction to his plea he added, "Doc Tam told us what happened with River being infected and passing it to you. I don't wanna lose someone else." The Doctor looked away from him, over at Richard. Jack glanced at the silver-eyed man too. "Tell him, Riddick. Tell him you feel the same."

"He knows how I feel, Jack." He put a hand on the child's too thin arm and then slid so that he could slip his around the boy. _He needs to be with us, Thete_.

_It will alter him, Amadak. He'll cease being human. I can't –_

_Can't what? Let him make that choice? Maybe he don't want to be human, with how he's been treated. Maybe he'd rather be like you. That is what would happen, isn't it? He'd become your son, because that's how he'd be changed. Maybe it's what I want. Maybe it's what we, all of us -- Verity, River, Simon, me, you, and Jack -- need. _

The Doctor looks down at the honey-haired child's pensive expression; "You're talking to each other, ain't you?"

"Yes," the surprise is evident in the single word response that the hairless man makes, "How could you tell?"

Jack shrugged, "There's this sort of buzzin' sound, like just beyond what I can hear. Been noticing it more around you and River, than I ever did before the crash." The concerned expression fixed on him makes him add on, "But I've always been aware of it, you know? There was this kid in my class that used to ace every test, and he always buzzed like crazy. I guess he was sorta cheatin', huh?"

_See? _Rich thought to him.

The intense stare came back up to match the quicksilver one. _Later_. The he says to Jack, "Maybe. You could learn to develop this talent of yours, but it would mean spending a very long time with me, traveling. And there are many dangers involved that we'd need to sit down and make sure you understand before we broach that." _Happy now_?

_Enough that I could kiss you again_. The Doctor colored, taking on an orange-deep pink-brown glow.

Jack laughs. "I don't know what you said to each other, but it's funny that you're blushing, Doctor."

"Hush." The man tousles Jack's hair. "Are you itching again?" The boy nods. The cool hands drop to his wrists as the Doctor shifts his position. The boy scoots up into his lap and Richard moves closer so he can see what is going on. "There's another pressure point up in the crook of your elbow that might also help, as well as a few on your feet. But let's start with the ones we've already used." Jack relaxes as the powerful and skilled fingers work their magic and before he knows it, he's fast asleep. Simon carries over Jack's blanket and spreads it out on the boy. At least now he can sleep knowing that the Doctor isn't up pacing about.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Antonia stepped from her bath, still shaken from her experience. There was nothing in the data files on the Doctor that indicated the sort of power he was displaying. Then again, the source of those files couldn't have known the true extent of what the secrets of their enemies were. Time Lords. It was more than just a silly title, she was gathering. Time. He could alter and manipulate time, either on specific targets or over a vast field. He'd shown her that, forwards and back, with merely a thought. This meant that he couldn't be kept in cryo, because his mind would remain active and he'd raise holy hell with her ship in revenge.

But to just let him go? Unthinkable. She could try contacting the Kova allies, the Necromongers, to see if they wanted a crack at him. Their methods might be effective. Or not. She paced. The Shrill wanted a chance to rip him apart. Now, there was a thought. Grant the creatures what they wanted; give as many of them a shot at the Doctor as they dared. It would clear out the holding cells and allow the 'golls the opportunity to play with gene splicing again.

And maybe she could add the Doctor's companions to her collection in compensation.

But first she needed to_ plan_ the entertainment for tomorrow evening. How to get the Doctor to come willingly? Lie? Better yet; lie to Harley convincingly enough that she thinks it is the truth. Or just assume that he won't and force him too. They'd need a larger group of mercs, in that case. And they'd have to come in under a different commander, one that seemed trigger-happy. She'd have to convince him that the others didn't matter as much, so he could threaten to kill them with guilt-free ease. Now whom should she send?

Ah the 'b' squad commander, Carver, would be perfect. She'd have Harley send her men in to act as personal guards and have her unfreeze a few more mercs for good measure, just to keep her busy.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Everyone was sleeping, all but the single Time Lord who because of biology didn't need but a catnap a day. It had been very eventful, this past twenty-four hour period. Then most days of his life were noteworthy in one way or another. He looked at his fellow travelers, hoping for evidence that they would all make it. But the future here was not set in stone. He could decide that they'd all make fine companions and vow to keep them with him and they still might die. He could follow through with his goal of dropping them off on New Mecca, and they might not make it that far either. Not everything hinged on his choices. His eyes drifted to the blurred mixed flashing colors of the Shrill. They had better not threaten these people, or he'd cut loose with a fury that would make the ship itself tremble in fear.

Beside him River stirred. She needed less sleep than most, and soon Amadak would be waking too, because he needed fewer hours. The dark haired girl scooted up to keep the heat trapped and quietly moved to the toilet. When she returned she settled into his side. _How did you know Susan_?

_Eh? Susan – was my granddaughter. Why do you ask, River_?

_Almost eleven generations ago, three hundred and thirty-six years, current time, A woman named Susan came from nowhere, and married a man named Campbell on Earth-That-Was. They had three boys; all of those boys had boys, and so on through the years. Then quite unexplained, this Campbell family finally bore a girl. This girl was my mother. And I have an image of Susan on my bedside table in the TARDIS_.

_I see. Well, Verity has an odd way of prompting searches for the truth, doesn't she?_

_So does this make you my great grandfather, eleven times removed?_

_Do you want it to? Because I can go either way, Little Water. I can be your friend, family, or both._

_I'd like that. I've never had anyone in the family think I was normal before._

The Doctor looked over at her. She gave him a hopeful expression. He pulled her into his side with a squeeze. _You'll never be just 'normal', silly child. To me you are extraordinary. And I like you that way. Heck, I like Simon that way._

River giggled into his shirt. She had another name for him now – Grandfather. She hugged him tight, careful to not disturb Jack. _I like you that way too. Heck, I love you that way. _The slow tilt of the Doctor's head against her own told her that the feeling was mutual even if he couldn't say it. She was finally home.


	13. Part Thirteen Feint

**A/N: **_Can I sing praise for my reviewers? La llaah lllaaahh (Coughs, hacks, and coughs some more) … All righty then -- maybe 'Thank you' is better?  
Thank you to those who bother to review.  
For this chapter Jelly Babies go to: My Reflection, OtherMeWriter, Chibi of Many Names.  
About Simon: His reaction will be forthcoming, once River figures out how to tell him. He's not quite gotten that he just might be related to this alien that he's so worried about, yet.  
About the Doctor: He's getting an inkling that maybe things are not as 'over' with the Time War as he might like (So negative, I know), because he fears that every individual he locates with ties to his past might be matched by a Dalek somewhere… And, of course, we all know that he's right.  
About Rose: Ok, think about the role she plays as 'Bad Wolf'. Who does she channel? What does she say? Major clues there. I've got a chart someplace that details all the six colors for the guardians, their elements, what they stand for, and all of that. In fact I think I've posted it in the forum. Will she be part of this Box? Yes. Which element is she? Well… The clues are already there. As for who the other missing element is… Um, I'm not gonna say. I'm not. Nope. Just have to read the entire series if you want to find that out._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Thirteen

Feint

The morning comes all too soon. For Jack it means another day of acting like he's in one piece when really he's in pieces. For River it means letting Verity step back in to her mind as a filter, and losing the intense close contact she shares with the Doctor. For William it's another day of acting grownup and tough when he's still a hyper kid inside. For Richard it's a day just like the last one with a single difference, he knows now where he belongs. Each of the survivors has their demon to carry. And all of them know that they survive this day or die based on how well they pull together and work like a team. It's almost like a line was drawn in the sand overnight and they are waiting to see which side crosses it first.

They do as they did the day before, breaking into groups and trying to stay occupied. Simon still wants the Doctor to stay down, and the Time Lord decides to play up his 'poor health'. Ali and Jack end up sitting with him as he and River orally teach them about various subjects. Imam prays. Simon scans Rich's eyes and searches through the database for the correct procedure to heal the half-ass eyeshine. Johns waits until Simon is fully absorbed in the research before he settles near the con. "So you really gonna have your eyes fixed?"

"Doc says it likely won't be a hundred percent, but there's a couple of things that might improve or correct what I let Cutter do to me. Why?"

"Curious is all. Why do you want to go under the knife again?"

The ex-ranger looks away, turning his entire head to indicate that he's not gonna answer. Johns thinks he knows the reason. It's got to be hard to picture the person you're falling for when you can't see the color of their hair, skin, or eyes. Particularly when you used to be able to. He opens his mouth to say something along those lines when Rich surprises him with a mumble, "It's no one reason."

"His eyes are blue," the redhead says. "Not like my eye color, though. Not pale ice blue. They are dark blue like the sky near sunset, almost navy, but a bit brighter. You remember that color, like right before the stars come out?"

The bronze head tilts toward the floor slightly, like he's trying to picture that. Finally Rich says, "Yeah."

"And his skin is pale, but kind of like newborn baby pale. Not sickly or nothing like that." The other man nods. "The hair is kinda hard. It's dark. A military seal-brown I guess. But there's some very light, colorless strands too, 'cuz it's very shiny."

"It's very soft," Richard says, "like baby-hair."

William sighs. "So it's naturally that length, then?" The ex-ranger nods. "Does he have hair other places?" The glare he gets makes him back up a bit, "Just curious. I mean, I've seen his arms and there's not hardly any hair there, is all. And you helped him shower. So I thought I'd ask." The glower doesn't change, "At least I'm not asking about his dick size, Rich. Come on, give a little here."

"Not much, no. Might be a little, but it's very blonde I suspect. I didn't exactly get up that close and personal."

The marshal nods. "Kinda expected as much. I never thought I'd feel sorry for you not being able to see small details like that. He's got stunning eyes. Can't miss 'em when he's pissed at you, that's for sure."

That gets an amused snort. "You deserved to be put over a knee and spanked until your butt broke for that stunt, Billy."

"No shit. I got off light. I'm lucky to be alive. I know that now. The Doctor and I had a nice long talk when I was puking my guts up. Well, he was talking and I was gagging – _listening_ – anyway. He let me know that there was help for the flashbacks, for the shit I suffered growing up, for the shiv wound… All of it, if I wanted it." He pauses, "An' that's good. But you don't need me in your way. I'll look for help on Helion, once we get there. The shiv bit is fixed at least."

Richard looks back at the redhead. They have been through so fucking much together. Friends, fighting partners, comrades, enemies, and partners in crime… everything they have experienced knits them together like brothers. He has never loved Johns, but he has hated him, passionately. He couldn't love him, because – he couldn't. He'd never loved anyone in this life. And he'd just taken that inability as a given, not questioning why. Now he knows the reason, even if he doesn't remember it. He claps a hand on the man's shoulder, "I'm gonna miss sparring with you, but I suppose another asshole _will_ come along."

"A dime a dozen, we are," Billy admits.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It's rather late in the afternoon when the mercs finally show. They remove the privacy barrier to reveal that the Shrill are gone. With them are two securing tables, the heavy kind for cyber-freaks and hard core druggies with super-human strength. The hired guns look battle hardened enough to be slightly scary, but not enough that Johns thinks they are unbeatable. "You're all being moved. It's assumed you would have slipped the cuffs, so… We brought tables. Boss said, 'I don't care how they are moved, just move them,' so… play nice or I'll move a few of you in body bags. Understood?" It doesn't take much to have this group's attention the fella notices. "So here's how we're gonna do this. All of yous up against the wall. Palms flat. Now."

Riddick has been through this enough times to know the position. "We got a sick man," he says as he moves over to help the Time Lord to his feet. Simon steps up to help, even though it looks ridiculous for him besides the two taller men. Mentioning the disability seems to soften the mercs slightly. "Here, just put your hands against the wall like this, Doctor." They share a glance. _Don't even open your mouth, Thete. These guys will shoot first and listen never. Trust me here._

_Believe it or not, I've dealt with this sort before, Amadak_.

Abu hustles the two boys against the wall as well, not wanting to risk them.

Fry follows the men's example without protest although it leaves her and River far more open to manhandling then it does the males. The Doctor's face tightens when the brute leader of this large quad steps up and frisks the blonde woman down. His jaw clenches when the dirtbag touches River, and Rich swears the Time Lord is growling. He knows the pale hairless man is making a guttural sound when the merc moves to feel up the boys. Wisely, the commander orders the Doctor strapped down to a table first although the ex-ranger is not overly sure the device will hold him should the alien reveal his real strength which is far beyond anything a human could manage even with drugs.

_Don't do it, Thete_.

_Antonia Chillingsworth will die_.

_Well, yeah. Okay_. Richard allows himself to be placed on the other table. Apparently these fellas have heard about his little display before capture. All the others are placed in stiff cuffs, rather high security. It looks positively laughable on the boys, not to mention the petite adults, River, Carolyn, and Simon. Rich wonders if the merc commander found the sonic screwdriver on River, and if not why he overlooked it. Hah. She's slipped it into her boot that's why. Clever girl. The brute was more interested in coping a feel than actually searching her. She kept him interested in the upper part of her body, and away from her feet somehow. The ex-ranger wasn't watching her too close so he's not sure exactly how she did it but he applauds her for it anyway.

The problem with the stiff cuffs is that they use a different locking mechanism. Richard wonders if the settings Thete has the screwdriver set to will work on these new locks, and if not, will River be able to alter the dials to make the screwdriver work? He sure hopes so, because if she can't they are gonna be in a world of trouble. He's got a funny feeling that he knows where the Shrill are too, and that's gonna be bad news, for them. He'll rip them all apart if they threaten Thete.

Once they start moving it's pretty easy to tell that they are being taken someplace new. This is a 'main hall' affair, as the tables are too wide to fit down the service passages. The mercs outnumber them twenty-four to nine, bristling guns every which way, because frankly there are too many of the hired guns to be effective. The general route seems to lead down and center, Rich can tell. He's always been able to get directional bearings inside ships fairly easy. So where are they being taken? And more importantly, why?

He's given plenty of time to ponder this, as the mercs escort them through the _Kubla Kahn_. Then they turn a corner, and he's shocked out of his pondering by a sight that totally blows him away. What exactly is Chillingsworth doing out here in wild space, anyhow? He's never seen so many sleepers in one location aside from Deep Storage. The room, or hall, rather, is multi-storied, huge and packed to the gills with layers of cryo tubes. There are so many that it must be an automated system of some sort.

"Wow," Carolyn says, totally awed. She's never seen such sophisticated technology before. She had no clue that such a thing even existed. And every square inch is glittering and polished clean. The chamber is so large that the lights only illuminate the center of it decently. The sheer size humbles Ali, River, and Simon into shocked silence. The Doctor just glares. It's that _Look_. The one that makes Daleks self-destruct instead of face him. Of course these mercs are too dense to understand the danger they are in.

Johns shrugs. This is fancy but nothing he's not seen before during the Wailing Wars. Troop transports often were built this way. So the _Kubla Kahn_ was an ex-military, custom rebuild. Big fuckin' whoop.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Abu asks him. It's clear that he's got a reason to ask such questions, however obscure the reason might be.

"Sure, Kovan Military Troop Transports are built this way. Kova's got the tops on cutting edge Cryo tech. Then again, that's been their focus for centuries, you know? How machines and biosystems interact," the marshal says.

"But these are all guild members, are they not?" The holy man further inquired.

"So?" The redhead shrugged. "She said she hand hundreds she could being down on us. Gotta keep 'em someplace."

Jack says, "So this _is_ a merc ship?"

"Why did you think I asked if you were becoming psychic, Jack?" Riddick says to the boy. Jack shrugs. "It's got nothing on Revas' operation. Remember any of that, Johns?"

"The _Dark Athena_? Only in my fuckin' nightmares."

"I take then that you have seen things like this?" Imam rephrases.

Rich looks at him, "Merc ships? Plenty. Just trying to figure out how it all goes together."

Silence descends on the group for a bit. They are about halfway down the hall when the holy man speaks again, "It is a plantation operation. A boat like this loads up at port, signs on as many men as it can hold, then goes out for months, sometimes years at a time. However long it takes to fill their stores."

"I've heard about those," Fry says. "Company used to warn students to not sign up if they actually wanted to finish their education before the curriculum went out of date. Kinda scary that the owners of these boats can keep someone on ice legally for decades. Can't even do that in prisons, can they?"

The marshal shakes his head, "Law says that Deep Storage inmates have to be given fifteen minutes a day of wake time. Even if it drives costs up for security, healthcare, and maintenance on the automated systems. Being pumped full of the reviving drugs every goddamn day really shortens a lifespan. Which I suppose is why they do it."

"For the sake of being seen as humane? That's barbaric," Simon sputters in shock. "That sort of repetitive shock to the body will kill a person in less than five years."

"Yep," Johns agrees. "But it ain't my law. I just enforce it."

"Which makes you part of the problem, Bill," Carolyn says.

He looks at her, "Hey, you know what you need to do to about that. I'm offering to change."

"Think the morphine fried what few brain cells you had. I sure hope your plans don't include a set up like this."

"Why? High-classed operation like this could really rake in the UD's. There's a reason Merchant Rigs use these old Kova ships, after all."

"Not much of a change then," Fry retorts.

"Actually it's a huge change for a man like Billy, Carolyn. A merchant rig's usually harvesting ore, maybe crops, not people," the bronze-skinned man tells her. She blinks at him. "What? You really believe that most sane mercs sign up for shit like this?"

"Fuckin' hope not," Johns says, "I wouldn't, ever. I liked being independent, able to follow my hunches. Can't do that if you're just someone's hired muscle."

Simon glances around, "You think all these people are guild mercs?"

"Nah," the ex-ranger responds.

Abu further expands, "Captured bounties on one side, contracted manpower on the other." Billy and Rich both nod.

"Recipe for a war zone, if you ask me," Fry states under her breath. Something sparks in the Doctor's eyes at that.

The honey-haired boy walking beside her says, "Just add heat."

_What Thete?_

_It's just – a plan, forming. Don't you worry._

_Your plans better be good ones or I'll worry all I want._ Richard can feel Thete darkly chuckling, like he's going to enjoy unleashing the carefully contained havoc onto the creator of this rickety system. He wonders exactly what this 'plan' entails.

"Soon." River says. "Fire will burn, after all." Simon looks over at his sister and raises an eyebrow. He gets a similar look reflected back with a slightly cocker attitude. She seems awfully chipper for a girl in chains. He wonders what she knows. The brown eyes twinkle at him like it's a secret that she can't just tell him. He rolls his eyes and looks away.

The bronze skinned man looks at Abu, "You know a lot about this shit… For a holy man."

Imam's dark eyes scan everyplace but the goggles that are focused on his face. After a moment he makes an aborted dismissive motion, "I hear things."

The question is, from where? Rich has to wonder what the mild mannered priest is hiding, because for a man from sheltered Helion Prime, who has lived a comfortable life, it would appear, Abu knows way more than is reasonable. In fact, if the ex-ranger had to guess, he'd say the man wasn't a priest at all, but for his unshakable faith. He studies the dark skinned fellow for a long while as the group lapses into silence. But then the mercs around them are annoying Carolyn and one is leering at Jack; he don't go for this shit. "Must be a special kind of desperate dick signs on to this."

He targets the overweight rather pig-like fellow that is eyeing the green-eyed boy with something that makes Rich's stomach churn. The man snaps his attention away from the kid and catches the deadly look on the restrained man's face. "Shut up!" he orders as he rifle-butts the con in the face.

The bronze man turns his head with the blow and catches the Doctor's eye. He can feel the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. He licks it off and feels the wound, _Not that bad, Thete. Keeps him from raping Jack, so it's worth it, right?_ The pale man's eyes settle on the merc like he's going to feed the man his own balls. Richard is happy to see that the Time Lord shares his protective streak toward Jack. That's a good sign. To keep the merc's attention off the boy he says, "You're the exception, of course. For you it's life experience."

Sadly, the man is too dense to comprehend the threat. He does maintain his attention on Riddick for the rest of the trip though, giving Jack some breathing room. The kid is holding up quite well, considering. The end of the hall comes up rather soon though, and it branches off at an intersection into two directions. There is another ten mercs waiting. "Took you long enough, Carver. Junner is waiting for those two, you remember where, right?"

"Conservatory," the merc commander barks out, "I fuckin' remember, you high and mighty asswipe. I'm above you now, jerkweed, so I best be seeing some respect outta your shit-for-brains mini-squad, got that?"

"Bite me. Commander Harley sent me to link up with you, because the Boss herself has her doing something special. Since Harley's above your ass, and I'm just below her, I think you need to be the one groveling." The two mercs challenging for leadership stare at each other.

Jack steps up to the tables, knowing that they are going to be separated. "So, what's the plan? It's not like we haven't gotten out of worse. The way I see it, we can take these jerks when—" He interrupted when one of the other mercs, a guy with hair almost as red as Johns, snags him by the shoulder. The boy is hauled back away from the tables, "Hey!"

"This is where we get off Kiddies."

Jack shakes free, "Fuck off!"

"Jack!" It's the first thing that the Doctor has said the entire trip out loud. The boy freezes. "I need to know that you are staying with River and Simon. Will you do that for me?" The green eyes meet intense dark blue and the boy nods, fighting back tears. The Time Lord just nods at him.

Jack glares at the merc. "I'm goin'! Don't fuckin' touch me."

Another merc points his weapon at Carolyn, "You too, princess." She looks at Rich and gets a nod.

Johns and Fry begin herding the Tams, Ali and Jack, keeping them together. Soon only Imam is left standing there. Something about this is objectionable on a level he can't articulate. One of the more reasonable guns-for-hire finally says, "Come on, preacher. We haven't got all day here."

Abu finally says, "I will pray." He sounds resigned.

Both the ex-ranger and the Time Lord say, in unison, "Not for me." Then they look at each other and actually snicker about it. Imam manages a slight smile as he's hauled backwards.

"What happens to them?" The Doctor called.

"Going free, as far as I know. That was the deal, wasn't it?" the merc in charge of the smaller group answers.

Jack begins to struggle again. One of the mercs grabs him, "Let's go!" Jack knees him in the groin and he lets go with a groan. Another merc, more careful than the last, catches the boy.

"I won't leave without you, Doctor! Riddick! I'll find you both! I swear I will!"

The pale hairless gent calls back to him, "Stay with River and Simon, Jack. That's an order. _Dong ma_?"

Rich is reminded of his words that Jack is gonna be trouble. If the boy is not careful he's gonna be dead. They are wheeled away, until the sounds of Jack's cries fade into the distant dimness of the tunnels. _Please Jack,_ he thinks_, do like Thete wants and stay with the Tams._


	14. Part Fourteen Blood

**A/N: **_Those Jelly Babies went over well. How about more? One of the Doctor's favorite treats, going back to his second incarnation (Bet you didn't know that). So here's a bag for each of my reviewers and thanks to go with, for: My Reflection, OtherMeWriter.  
Don't you mean 'a certain other Shepherd' and Abu? Yeah, they both do have some secrets, although Abu's are not quite as deep as Book's.  
Jack get into trouble? Our little Jack? But of course. But it's not his fault, I swear. He actually listens to the Doctor and stays with River and Simon…_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Fourteen

Blood

River finds that walking among the mercs is a tiring experience. This is the first time she's been away from the Doctor and unable to get back to him. The first time she's been forced apart from the Storm. The blackened auras around her make her head hurt. Even at the crash site, when the Doctor and Rich were chained up she could go to him. Jack's scared. Oh so scared. Simon's walking next to her, trying to be calm, to be her rock, only he's air and it's hard for him to be so solid. William is towering over her and Carolyn, making a wall of flame as he tries to shield them from the attentions of these men who are a sort he knows all too well. She never thought that she'd welcome the intense heat of his aura. But he's different now, changed from what he used to be; he's a better man. Not necessarily a good one, but a better one. She knows that the docking pilot burns a little brighter because he's close. He could re-light her aura, help her live again, if she just lets him. But maybe she doesn't realize how much pain she's in because she is so close to death. Fire should never be banked into embers and ash for as long as her aura has been. Abu somehow has managed to get his prayer beads into one hand and is clicking them as they walk. His bright aura is cloudy, because he's troubled, and afraid but he won't admit it, and Ali is clinging to him like everything has been lost. Jack's tears are really getting to the Arabic boy. All Ali wants is to go home.

She doesn't blame him for that. She understands. It's what she wants too. Only her home isn't a place but a person with two hearts. River blinks back tears that threaten to overflow from her eyes. It won't help to cry. Grandfather told her to just play along, to keep everyone calm, and to remember that she's got the way to freedom. She must trust him. People are going to die here. She can sense it hovering over the mercs around them. But she can't sense it on those she's close to. This might be a good sign, or it might indicate that it's her time to go. She hopes not. There's much she wants to see, to do, to learn, and the Doctor needs her no matter how much he thinks otherwise. And now, just when his in the cusp of finding something he thought lost forever again, this white haired _bitch_ threatens to rip it away.

The pain disappears in the flash of her anger. No. She won't let it happen. Even if she has to use her Academy 'training' to make sure everyone lives. Even if… She hopes Simon will forgive her for being turned into a killer, because she won't lose what she's gained now. Not when she's so close to being healed, happy, and River again.

They are ushered into another room. It's very large, this space. Open. The floor has funny patterns in it. The walls too. They have lights built into them. Long bars and maze-like knot work. The chamber is black, but for the white bars of light. She estimates that it's at least two and a half stories to the ceiling, maybe three or three and a half even, but it's hard to tell. There's a smell clinging to the surfaces, the space, the very air, -- like lots of things have died here and the faded blood can't be totally washed away anymore. The mercs are snickering like this is funny. Abu looks like he might faint, he pales so much. She guesses he knows what is going to happen. Maybe he's 'heard' of such places like he did about the nature of this ship.

It's clear that they are not being set free. She finds herself being slapped into a collar made of thick metal, attached to a cable in the ceiling, and raised up onto a sphere that is at least Johns' height. It's easy for her to keep her balance, but as she watches each of the others get the same treatment she worries about Simon, Ali, and Carolyn. _Oh, Grandfather is going to be pissed off when he sees this_.

Johns looks at the merc commander, "You bastard of a lying son of a bitch! You think this is funny, do you, cocksucker? You got no god-damn clue how deep your piss-filled grave is already, do you?" He spits and lands it in the man's eye. Lucky for the marshal he's up too high for the man to hit back. "Fuck you, you shit-eater. I'm thinking the prissy girl there can take you out," he indicates River who is across from him. The merc sputters but can't come up with a retort that is cutting enough to even try to say back. "Yeah, that's right, your fucking bluster and battle-wear is all looks and not experience. Pussy-faced Cunt."

Carolyn is looking at the redhead like she's never seen him before. How quickly he's crossed the line from one of _them_ to one of _us_. She can't quite get her brain around it yet. But he's taunting someone whose side he would've been on before they met the Doctor, and there's no denying that he's trying to channel Riddick's bluster and calm and bad-ass-ness, right now. He's doing a fair job of it too. The commander, in face of the verbal abuse from a chained prisoner no less, orders the squad out.

"Wow." Jack says, "And you told me to watch _my_ mouth?"

"I'm the fucking adult here, kid." Johns retorted to him.

"Yeah, thirty going on three, you are," the boy shot back at him.

Bill snickered at that, "It's twenty-nine, thank you very much."

And Carolyn thinks to herself that maybe Rich was right, pulling Bill out of the fire by his boot straps so many times. He's actually joking with Jack, and the boy needs that. He would have turned to Riddick for that kind of support before, or perhaps Shazza. If Bill can change that much, maybe there's hope for her too. She wobbles on her sphere, catches herself, swallows, and sighs. This is gonna be a very long wait.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They reach the end of the hallway. It's been very gently sloping and curving. The door opens casting cool aqua toned light into the depths of the shadows. The entire group is thrown into harsh relief by it. The tables are wheeled into the lighted space revealing a large room; rather sterile and cleanly furnished with crisp modern lined pieces. In contrast to this are the scattered 'statues' made of humans. These are mounted in twisted shapes, single and in pairs or groups. In the center of the room is a multi-storied cone that seems made up of interconnected bodies. The light is more of a cyan color here, nearly overwhelming. The Doctor takes all this in and notices that every single one of the forms in this room is alive, suspended cruelly in a state of paralysis that keeps the mind functioning while the body is chemically frozen in time.

A voice floats up from below, "Set them down and leave." It is Junner.

The mercs tilt the table upright and click the controls to eject the prisoners from the devices. Not willing to face the pair even with the overwhelming advantage in numbers they keep the tables between themselves and their charges. Neither man moves until the door behind them closes. They are up on a landing. The restraints from the tables leave them in stiffened chains, on both their ankles and wrists. Rich dares a glance at Thete then pops his neck. _What is it_?

_They're alive. Every one of them. Suspended. What is it about Humans that makes them turn even the most innocent of technologies into torture devices?_

The ex-ranger has no answer for that. He makes a variation on his 'poker face' that the Doctor reads as 'don't have a fucking clue' before walking forward down the glowing steps. Just a pace behind him follows Thete. What makes him freeze at the base of the stairs is the realization of how many souls are caught here. Something around several hundred, at least. They adorn the walls as three-dimensional 'paintings' and are scattered about as both statues and bases for tables. Some have light tubes twisted around them, and others are on glowing pedestals. There's balancing triads, caught in twisted acts that are frozen in impossible vivid detail. Men and women, individual and together, each placed in inhumanly twisted and oftentimes sexually suggestive fashion. It's vulgar and demeaning. No wonder the Doctor looked they way he did.

Ahead of them, in the center of a clear space, stands the _Kubla Kahn_'s Second in Command. He's waiting rather patiently, really. Of course, Junner likely spends enough time here to be immune to the horror of this place. Instead of urging them forward, the dark haired man just looks their direction and waits. There's no place else for them to go but forward, really. Richard lets the anger and hate simmer inside his breast as he approaches the tall white-coated man's location. As he and the Doctor get closer, Junner indicates for them to move past him. The Time Lord fixes the man with a deadly look, as Riddick's eyes land on a figure that is positioned in such a way that every muscle is corded and hard. It looks very uncomfortable and makes parts of his body twinge in sympathy. The fella must have a bad case of 'blue balls' with how – erect – he is, was all. He's arched over, just barely balanced by his fingers of one hand, while the other looks positioned to be clutched and held onto. He face is just as twisted; looking like it's caught up in a silent scream.

Junner is watching this closely. This particular form is here at his request, and Antonia scoffed at his suggestion that this one individual was the cause for the Doctor's presence here on her ship. But both the bronze skinned knife fighter and the slightly taller pale man behind him are riveted on the form of the Furyan. It's just as he expected. Now he has cause to wonder who exactly has been playing who here.

The ex-ranger steps around to the side, letting the Doctor see the plaque at the twisted male form's feet. It reads **Killer of men FURYA**. He makes a humming sound as he studies the face, noting that the man's eyes are clear and alert and watching him.

_Touch me._

Rich blinks. He leans in closer, _Was that you_?

_Touch me_.

Beside him the Doctor reaches past and curls a hand over the man's cheek. The frozen figure's facial expression changes from a silent scream to peaceful wonder. Riddick glances at Junner and notices that them black haired man is almost glaring at the change. Of course the ex-ranger knows exactly how much and how intense a single touch from the Time Lord can mean. Surprisingly enough he's not feeling that possessive sensation that grips him when Johns flirts with Thete. But this is not sexual, but spiritual. The Furyan's eyes slowly close. The Doctor slides his hand off the man's face, and just as he goes to pull his fingers out of reach the man extends his tongue and licks the length of the long pale hand, from wrist to fingertip. It almost seems like now that the Furyan is holding himself here, no longer suspended. Like he could move any time he wanted. His face reforms the silent scream.

_Fire for Honey, Set me Free, Red Guardian I do Your Will, For Peace you Bring me_…

Riddick catches Thete's wrist. The Time Lord seems stronger, like some exchange has been made here under the noses of everyone between two very powerful individuals without anyone realizing until after the deal was done. He wants to know what exactly has transpired, "What the hell -- "

_Let it pass Amadak_.

There are tinkles of thin glass settling on stone from behind them. Both the Doctor and Riddick look that direction to see their hostess paused in a doorway, a glass of deep red liquid settled on a sculptural table near her elbow. Neither notices that the Furyan is also fixed on the woman. She raises her chin as she looks at them. Junner takes advantage of their distraction to quickly jab both men in the neck, causing them to crumple to their knees from the white-hot flash of agony that shoots through them. It's a good thing he can use each hand independently. Something about causing these two pain makes him giddy with glee. He can't quite keep the emotion off his face and it comes through in a twisted grin.

Beside the ex-ranger, Thete groans. He sounds like he's in a lot more pain then he should be. The bronze-complexioned man narrows his eyes behind his goggles, "All right. Now you have my attention."

Chillingsworth tilts her head as she watches Ka Faraq Gatri cope with the implanted explosive. She's heard that the Skaro-based technology would weaken him. It seems as if it is working that way.

"Not your attention I was after, but the Doctor seems a little dazed at the moment."

Richard puts a hand up in the small wound in his neck and feels a small, hard, metallic octopus-like shape spread out under his skin. He immediately thinks of the Shrill. He growls, "Bad move."

"A necessary precaution." She walks closer and indicates for Junner to lift the Doctor to his feet and hold him. That done, she tilts the man's face up and looks into his cloudy blue eyes. A shame really. He's so striking. He'd be a lovely addition to the collection, if she had the time to develop a variation of the Cryo that would keep his mind from altering time on the ship. But she doesn't know enough about how his brain works to even begin work on such a thing. Beside her, the Doctor's – lover? Champion? – is not even breathing as he watches her touch what he sees as his. She wonders if she could get away with fucking the pale man while his jealous companion watches. She smirks at the thought then looks down at the goggled face that is watching her. "Possessive, aren't we?"

"He's a cover story, a way to avoid going back to slam, that's all."

She shakes her head, "Liar." She leans in and licks the shell of one pale ear, extending her tongue as suggestively as possible, before tugging his earlobe with her teeth.

_Amadak_?

_I'm here, Thete. She knows. I'm not sure how, but she knows she's got me by the balls_.

_Just play along, please. I need – time – to fight this_.

_OK. You can fight it_?

_Of course I can. Just lead her along. Let her think she's winning_.

"Stop touching him," Richard growls out.

She laughs as she pulls away leaving a deeply colored spot on the Time Lord's earlobe, "See, I know you better than you know yourself."

"Now ain't the time."

She reached down and curled a finger under his chin, "How right you are. Let me explain. You see, should you attempt anything uncivilized—killing me, for instance—I detonate the explosive charges Junner's just implanted… and sleep very well tonight. Not just yours, but the one in your lover's neck as well. Now I've heard that his kind can recover from that, but it would be interesting to see if you could. Somehow I doubt it."

"We're not lovers."

She rolled her green eyes at his stubborn insistence and guided him to his feet. "Walk with me."

It wasn't like he had much of a choice, really, with Junner dragging the Doctor along. He didn't like that the black haired man was touching the Time Lord either, for that matter. Now he had to wonder exactly why they were there, and what reason Chillingsworth had for showing them this room. "You're _not_ putting us on a pedestal," he says as he's guided further into the room.

She glances back at Junner. She can tell that he dislikes the idea of these two joining her toy collection as much as the bronze-skinned man does. Jealous, much? Yes. But she loves it, making him want her like this, no matter what she does to him, he comes back for more, striving to please her so much harder than anyone else does. "No," Antonia answers Riddick. "Of course not." The con is waiting for the other shoe to drop and she makes him wait for it. "It comes to my attention that the Doctor can't be held under Cryo-suspension. He'd break out of it with laughable ease because of his superior biology. He's a Time Lord, after all."

"And me?"

"My, you are sharp," she studies him, "You're strictly for my private collection."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Harley had a feeling that this was a crap assignment. What gave her the feeling was having to revive this particular man. Now, the Boss knew that this man and she didn't get on. Something from past experience, that knowledge was. So why revive his ass now? There were hundreds of other mercs on this boat. She pauses and looks again at the orders. No denying it. She was being told to revive the last person in space that she ever wanted to see. Ever. Like 'see you in hell' ever. Her stomach rolled in protest, just seeing the man's image. God, he was nasty.

She wiped her gloved hand down her green and gray environ-suit clad leg. Just thinking about him being awake gives her cold sweat. But there's no way around it. What the Boss wants, the Boss gets. She says 'die'; you die. She says 'work with your mother-fucking, baby-raping older half-brother'; you work with him. No matter what he's done. Harley swallowed back bile. She'd rather suck Junner off then do this. Shit, she'd go back right now and fuck Carver, if she could get outta doing this, and she hated Carver with a cold passion. The gray-eyed woman paused again in her walk down the dark multi-story hall. She closes her eyes and swallows. Just a few more steps and she'd see the bastard again.

Fuck. Just do this. He don't give a rat's ass about how you or anyone else in the 'Verse feels about him. All he cares about is the money. Bottom line. He'd sell out anyone for a few UD's. If Chillingsworth wanted the untrustworthy bastard awake, she'd wake 'im up. Then she'd just have to figure out how to keep from killing him. Clearing the last bit of distance Harley signals the sequence to de-ice the demon of her childhood. A confirmation request, "revive: Toombs?" pops up on her handheld control. Could she just press 'No' and say there was a malfunction? Right. Her finger depresses the 'Yes' button.

Around her, the room comes to life as the system locates and retrieves the proper tube. It's too much to hope for that he'd have died while on ice. And of course she can't poison him by increasing the dosage of the revival gas either. Someplace between his resting place and the delousing chamber in front of her, Toombs is given his wake up call. Not that it improves the scruffy, wild haired, cigar chomping bastard. There's a pause as the tube is lined up before he's ejected from it, rather naked, into the glass walled sealed room in front of her. God, _that's_ something she could have lived without ever seeing again! Eew. Yuck. He didn't even have the decency of wearing underwear.

Even though Toombs is groggy still, hitting the floor and crumbling to his knees with a grunt, the sight of this woman in front of him pings him right awake. Oh, yeah. Harley's become a fine woman. He leaps at the glass, letting her see that _everything_ is fully functional. He presses into the hard cold surface as he stares at her figure, which even through the suit is ample enough to get more than a slight rise out of him, "Miss me, honey doll?"

The lunge he made at the surface between them caused her to fall back like he was an attack dog. Her heart is pounding in her chest. She can't cry. She can't. Appearing weak will invite him to go right back to his old habits, and she doesn't have anyone larger or meaner in her bed right now to keep him out of it. Why can't she just be sucking Junner off right now? It would be far less of a threat to her sanity, for sure. Without warning she hits the command to delouse him.

He doesn't even pitch a cough. "Mmm. Fresh as a daisy," Toombs makes a show of 'showering' and crudely fondling himself in the white mist. "You know you want some, _honey bun_."

Harley turns away, suppressing her desire to gag. The only way to stop him is to distract him. Her eyes land on the packet of his gear. His gun. That will stop him from the suggestions and the reminders and the crap. She's never gonna be able to sleep again. Keeping her eyes hard, and looking him right in the face to show that she's grown up in more ways than one, she calmly opens the chute door and lifts up the packet. His eyes land on the gun, just like she thought they would. She wiggles the packet by the corner. He lets go of his cock and waits. Harley shakes her head and put the gear into the slot. Closing the door she says, "Suit up and report. Must be something big, them taking you off ice after what you pulled."

He drops back to his knees and grabs the packet as it slides into the chamber. Digging at it to rip the seal he says, "Sister, I certainly aim to find out." He finally gets the packet open and pulls his gun out of it, fixed on it like it's an old lover. For all Harley knows, it might be.


	15. Part Fifteen Madness

**A/N: **_Ok, here I am thanking my reviewers: Thank you. Thanking my readers: Thank you.  
OtherMeWriter: Did I leave that last one with a bit of a cliffhanger? You're gonna hate me for this one then. It's a big cliffhanger, unless I get the next chapter written before I post this one, if I can then you'll get two in a day. Which I imagine will mean I'll not get reviews for one… Um.  
mirth513: Ok, ok… She is not Void. No. Not… Rose channeled the 'heart of the TARDIS' not just the Time Vortex. She brings back and destroys life. So… Right. She'll end up being Aether. Or sharing it._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Fifteen

Madness

He's been half listening to her babble about how important it is to keep civilized space clean, to reduce the corruptive influences that crime creates on the youth, and to produce valid civic works, or some such shit. There's been some mention about how wonderful the human form is, how _artistic_ and flexible, he suspects, but he hasn't really been paying that close attention to her. And he hasn't been keeping track of the figures they are strolling through, mainly because his lack of fascination makes her slow down. Antonia views each and every body as one he needs to really see. Like focusing on them is going to make such a huge impression on him that he'll change his spots for her willingly. As if. Whatever. Anything to get her to slow down, even if it makes him look like a dense moron. So he plays like he's Johns, unable to concentrate on anything she's doing and she stops and hovers, caressing faces and ignoring the hate-filled eyes. It's creepy. But it buys Thete more time. Maybe he should play stupid, although really he does get it. He's sickened by it, but he gets it. Better to play dumb, make her say what she wants, then to assume and get it wrong. Right now she's spouting off about the three-dimensional piece on the wall and how much effort and artistic supervision had to go into selecting the right bodies for it… So he says, "Hmm. Okay. You go through all the trouble to catch these guys, and this is what you do with them?"

That sidetracks her holier-than-thou-virtuous/aesthetic diatribe, right enough. She stops in her tracks and looks at him, blinking. He can tell that he really derailed her. She must be used to having people kissing her shity ass and telling her it tastes sweet. Well, fuck this, and fuck her. He's not gonna. Finally she gives her head a little shake; "You're missing the point."

Fighting back the snort is about the hardest thing he's ever done. He makes as much of an arrogant, bewildered, 'what the fuck' motion as is possible, so she can't miss it and looks around the entire room, stopping briefly at various points so that when he pauses with the Doctor in his line of sight it doesn't look odd. He can read amusement in Thete's face even though its faint enough to still give him that glassy out-of-it look. Finally he turns back to Chillingsworth, "What point?" The expression on her face is almost worth the effort he's putting out. "You got a billion UD's standing around collectin' dust." It's the exact thing he could picture the old hyped-up Johns saying.

This causes her to gesture wildly for a moment. Clearly she is at a loss for words. Then she pulls herself together and glares at him; "You underestimate their value, Riddick." He gives her his 'you're shittin' me' expression. He swears her jaw drops, just slightly. She stops and stares at him, blinking at the stubborn attitude he flashing at her. It's an impasse. The moment lengthens. His expression doesn't change. Antonia sighs. Then she cups a chin in one hand; "They are priceless." He shakes his head at her, like he doesn't understand how someone in cryo could be worth more here than in a triple-slam lockdown. She turns and walks to the next form, as if perhaps finding the correct one will alter his view. She slides a hand over one of the women who is arched up like a acrobat, letting her hand rest on the small bare nipple. "You don't get it? Have you been listening at all?"

" 'Fraid not. Mind's been on my _lover_, see?" Might as well throw _that_ back in her goddamned perfectly phony face. And really, it's just too good to pass up, this opportunity to insult her. Odd thing is, she gets less of the message he's sending that he does of hers. 'Cuz he does get what she's doing and already thinks she's fucking barking mad.

She looks away and 'pets' the stature as she tries to control her desire to strangle the broad bronze-complexioned man. "Junner, let Riddick support the Doctor. Maybe he'll pay attention that way." Oh, _that's_ unexpected.

Wordlessly Junner hands the taller man over to Richard who catches him by the waist. There's no doubt that the Doctor is amused now. He can feel it bubbling over, and how the man is keeping it off his face the con has no idea. _How's it going Thete_? The pale man is already relaxed, and lets himself slump back even more because Rich is shorter than Junner. This is all good and well. The ex-ranger has no problem supporting the weight. Plus he can feel that the Doctor is acting, at least in part. Then the pale man turns his head to the side, facing inward toward Rich's neck. Everything about it sends little shivers over Riddick's skin, from the velvet-soft hair to the brushed silk of the man's cooler skin sliding over his shoulder. Even the bump of Thete's ear makes him have to steady himself. And then cool lips settle over the small wound on his neck, and the ex-ranger feels a slow breath puff over it. His fingers tighten from the sensation. _Thete_? Richard is pretty sure it's all an act at this point. The entire ploy. It had better be, at least. But the Doctor doesn't answer him, seemingly focused on the feel of roughened skin under his very smooth, silky lips. The slide of that cooler skin against his neck makes Riddick feel like he's got electricity shooting over his skin, much more intense than normal.

"Think you can focus now?"

Actually -- maybe not. Those lips are quite distracting. Again lying is the better part of valor here, "Yep. You were saying that I missed the point." Nope, he's not gonna be doing much focusing aside from what Thete's doing. Thank God he's got the goggles on.

She makes a face him and the man that she perceives to be nibbling at his throat before turning away and fondling another figure, a male whose kneeling form places his crotch at about shoulder height. "Each of the individuals here, at one time, were the most wanted man or woman in the known universe. The number of lives ended at the hands of those…living and breathing in this room is incalculable."

Richard's pretty sure that Antonia's slow pump on the male she has in hand has Junner's total attention, which is good because he feels a cool tongue brush against the neck wound making sensation explode across his nerves like firecrackers. There's intense pleasure, a touch of pain, the sort of sensation that one might get from applying too much pressure to swollen tissue, suckling. _What the hell are you up to Thete_? Not that he wants it to stop… But Rich is pretty sharp as tacks go. Even with the Doctor not answering him, it doesn't take long for the ex-ranger to realize that Thete is using his tongue to coax out the explosive. Of course Antonia's given them the perfect cover for the Time Lord to do this, and she thinks he's spaced out. Well, her loss. The experience is like getting the mother of all hickies, and damn it all; he's going to have a hard time walking. But the little device comes out, sure enough. He hopes Thete doesn't swallow it. _I have no intention of swallowing it, Amadak. _

_That's good, because an explosion from your midsection would be painful_.

Thete settles back against Riddick a little more. _Is that a banana in your pocket or are you happy to see me_?

Rich closes his eyes behind the goggles as he fights the reaction caused by the weight against him. _Now where would I get a banana around here? _His hands tighten around the waist he's holding to keep the man from moving.

He gets an amused flow of emotion. _Better answer her or she'll get a notion that you're not listening again._

What? There _was_ something he wanted to say to her, what was it again? Oh, right, "Ain't what I'd call living."

She snaps her attention to him. It's very possible that she had just about spaced out as much as he had. But the Doctor can have that impact on people when he wants to. Or maybe it was the bit of dangly flesh in her hand, hard to say really. "Just the same, I assure you they are all very much alive."

He shrugs. That's a matter of interpretation, frankly.

She steps over to the next figure, a rather handsome male, and places her hands on his face. "Each one is sustained in a form of cryo so profound…that seconds seem weeks…and to blink an eye is a day's work. The brain, however, continues to function unimpeded. The mind continues to think and feel, swarming with whatever dark thoughts it's trapped alone with, as it will be for hundreds of years."

Sounds like the perfect way to create mass insanity. He wonders what River would say around these people with their hate-filled eyes. The ex-ranger feels the Time Lord's growing horror at the fact that this woman knows exactly what it is that she is doing. The horror doesn't last long however. In fact, mere anger doesn't seem to be enough to deal with this situation. He curses the chains, because right now Thete is trembling in rage, no matter how relaxed he appears. They're being prodded forward and thankfully his little problem has diminished enough to be something he can live with. Damn tease. He's never going to be able to think about bananas the same innocent way ever again.

Oblivious to the situation, the white haired woman continues to talk, walking now toward a back wall, where Junner steps up to move a shimmering blood-red curtain aside, "So much more fitting a fate than dropping them off at the nearest slam. Don't you think?"

"Um. – No."

She glances back at them as Junner steps up behind letting the drapes fall back into place. Antonia decides to ignore his answer as she gestures at the 'pieces' adoring this passage. These are even more graphic than the ones previously passed. The crystalline voice cuts through the mock-regal feel of the space, "Here, they are appreciated for what they truly are, transformed into objects on par with their lives' work. And why? Because _I_ gave them the audience they so desperately desired, the recognition they bought with the blood of others." She stops in a circular dead-end, where there's a chase lounge, some tables, and a curtained wall that is curiously free of 'statuary'. She turns and looks back at the bronze skinned man who is half carrying a pale toned one. She must admit they would make a great piece together. They are perfectly proportioned in contrasts, light and dark, wide and narrow, and yet are matched for their masculine qualities, neither seeming to dominate the other. It would be classic and magnificent. "_I_ understood their actions, stripped free of moral convention. Don't you see? They're something greater now, Riddick. Something more than they ever were before. -- _Art_."

_Delusional little Bitch_.

Riddick blinks from both spoken and mental comments. _Thete!_

_Well, she is. Better respond before her little ego trip carries her big head away._

"Lady, your taste sucks." Richard wants to just forget this entire thing and go back to the holding cell; to the night before when he was kissing the man he's half supporting. But he has a bad feeling about this. Very bad. And the look on Chillingsworth's icy countenance does not reassure him one bit.

"I expected as much." Behind her mercs file into the room, all ones he recognizes. Many of the ones he wants to kill slowly. Now what is this shit she wants to pull? The white haired woman signals to several larger, cyborg-type mercs. They step up and lift the Doctor away from Riddick. He really dislikes this. A great deal. Then she indicates her second, "Junner."

The black haired man smirks. He has been waiting and watching. Itching to use the remote in his hand. Sadly it's not the one for the explosives. But he does get to make the big reveal by opening up the heavy drapes. The folds of cloth lift and rise, opening to show the gladiatorial pit. This is his mistress's second favorite pastime, aside from catching individuals to run through it. And this fight should be very, very bloody.

The sudden red glow as the curtains are lifted alarms Richard in ways that the mercs alone could never do. He's frozen to the spot, unwilling to move closer. Antonia steps up bedside him, close enough to be in his personal space in a way that he usually doesn't allow. She tilts her head up and whispers into his ear, "You see, Riddick, there is a fundamental difference between you and I."

Suppressing a start, he turns toward her forcing Antonia back half a step, "Yeah. You're a psychopath."

Long elegant fingers with very hard nails settle on his face. She shakes her head at him, "You don't appreciate art." On the contrary, he likes art fine, just that he doesn't think her idea of it is all that sane. In fact the more she talks the less sane she seems to be. And her ability to pick up on moods is about the same as the average floor rug. "But I believe the reason for this is something very different than you or anyone else might think." She pauses here for dramatic impact. "You're an artist."

_And you, my dear lady, are insane, but who am I to quibble_? The Doctor thinks to Richard.

The thought snaps him out of his momentary shock. He shakes her hands off, willingly putting space between them. _Fucking crazy nutter._ Riddick fixes her with a look like she's outta her mind; "I've been called a lot of things in my day. That ain't one of 'em."_ Thete, you can't be serious about playing along with this shit_!

_She got all the others in that pit, Richard. And the Shrill are coming. Now, will you help me or not?_

_Fuck! Of course I'll help you. I'm not gonna let you fucking die on me. But you owe me, Thete. I want the goddamned truth, or you, or… Fuck._

_Listen to her, Amadak. _

Still shocked all to hell he focuses back on a the white-haired raving lunatic, "You make art, Riddick, not analyze it." She turns and gestures like it's a profound truth, "You shape it with your own hands, carve it from flesh and bone." Then she looks back at him and mistakes his stunned expression for denial, "But a man like you does not understand such a thing by being lectured. You must experience it." He must miss the gesture she makes because suddenly the lights are totally blood red. She catches his arm and guides him closer to the pit where the other seven wait.

"Oh, shit." He pulls free and looks at the rest of the group. They are each balanced on a large globe and connected to the distant ceiling by a collar and cable. They still wear the stiff cuffs from before. This is bad. He's at least three meters up, maybe closer to four. That's a steep drop. And the crazy maze-like pattern makes it impossible to be sure exactly how far a fall it would be.

Below him Jack looks up, "I said I'd find you, didn't I?"

"What do you want?" Riddick finally asks the white haired, green-eyed monster at his elbow.

Antonia shrugs and lets go of his arm. She glides away from the edge, "To watch you work." He makes a face at her back. She moves back over to the Doctor. "I've spent the latter half of my life observing fantastic things," her fingers pull up a small vial of white powder that she dangles in front of the Time Lord until he focuses on it and visibly shrinks back, "The work of terrible men." Her smile is cold, "Men such as yourself, Doctor. Or you, Riddick." She turned away without revealing her threat. "But, alas, it's always after the fact… when the moment of bloody creation is cold and passed." She gestures toward the Pit, "That changes now."

"Go to hell."

She looked at the ceiling like she was praying for patience, "Do you know what is in this vial?" She lifts the white powder again. "No? It's rather a common pain reliever. Derived from Willow Bark. Ring a bell? Kova's allies discovered that this mild acid was quite useful for dealing with a particular group of people. The same group that your_ lover_ belongs to." Richard recalls what Simon had said on the TARDIS about willow bark. His expression became grim, "Yes? Good. Then you know I can kill him. For good, permanently. And he'll die slowly and painfully. You see, I need to see it. I need to, Riddick. I need to see it with my own eyes _as it happens_. And I will, tonight. Either by your hand or by my own."

_Is she telling the truth, Thete_?

_Yes_. A chill runs down Riddick's spine at the thought of it. Fight or no fight, the Doctor put his life on the line. And this time there might not be another chance. If she used that powder, Thete would die.

Junner then presses the release for the huge double doors on the far side of the pit. Jack looks that way, losing all pretenses at bravery. Imam grits his teeth. Ali begins whispering a prayer. Carolyn closes her eyes. Simon is watching the ledge above, more concerned about the vial being flashed around then the possible problems entering the pit with them. Johns clenches his jaw. River just stands calm, staring into space, waiting for the right time to make her move.

Antonia smugly and seductively crawls up onto her recliner, ready to feast on rare fruits, blood, sex, and death. She stretches reaching one hand up over the table, arches and settles into position, like that, in itself was part of the show. Under the sound of the crackling fabric a tiny ping goes almost unobserved.

Richard snarled at her, "I get outta there alive, you'll see it again…" He quickly covers the distance between them, in spite his ankle chains, undeterred by her focus on her glass of wine. Bending into her personal space in such a way that normally scared the living shit out of people, the ex-ranger threatened, "this close."

She looks amused. Tilting her head she moves in as if to kiss him and presses the button to release the ankle cuffs. "No, Riddick." She wants him to have a fighting chance after all. Her other hand comes up and she catches his chin with the point of his shiv, "I want your masterpiece." He lifts his head away from her with a glare. As he straightens, she tosses the handmade blade to the floor, "An artist is nothing without his instrument."

The con turns to retrieve his blade and notes that when his ankle cuffs came off so did the Doctor's. Behind him Junner steps between the now armed bronze skinned man and his mistress. _Thete? I don't want to leave you up here._

_You won't. I can bring these two down. Don't worry. She placed the vial behind the fruit and it's rolled off the table and under the couch. As long as it's sealed it's not a threat. I'll follow your lead._

_Just don't swallow the damn explosive. _The ex-ranger turns to Junner, "When we meet again, I'm gonna bury this in your eye." The black haired man scoffs at him. Richard lifts his goggles and stares at the man. Junner smirks and points to the pit. The broadly shouldered bronze man turns toward the rail and eyes the mercs. He's gonna fucking cut as many down as he can.

A woman's voice orders, "Let him in." Not that Riddick cares. He waits until he has a group of them around him then explodes in lethal rage. Well, she did say she _needed_ to see it. He guts one and before the first blood from the attack can hit the floor he's spun and cut another off at the wrists. The man's gun flies into the pit because he kicks it that direction. There's blood spraying every which way now, and his boot easily catches another merc in the jaw. It's a very heartwarming sound when he hears the crack of bone. The next fella he just pushes, and the man slips in the slick red on the floor. Opps. He kicks him in the ribs and brings his weapon up to catch another in the throat. The idiot drops his gun and grabs for the gash that's spitting a copious amount of sanguine fluid in the air, over his chest, and across the floor. Behind him one cyborg goes flying, hitting the rail hard enough to bend it. There's a distinct crack that sounds an awful lot like a snapped neck from the other.

"I'll take that," says the Doctor as he snags his coat from the merc that had been awarded the garment. Of course the man is still in it and the move the Time Lord makes breaks both of the man's arms in several places. "Never take another man's coat unless he's good and dead. _Dong ma_?" Somehow he gets the man out of the leather garment and sliding across the floor. Richard guesses he used a snapping motion of some sort. He's gonna have to ask later how he did it. The merc hits the rail at the post making it ring and vibrate. Then the Time Lord leaps past Richard, catching the blood spray and rather ignoring the mess. He opens his fingers enough to show the con that there are two metallic octopus-shaped devices in it. "You coming?"

"Fuck yes. Around you, always," he catches the merc that had been leering at Jack as the fellow charged them and goes over the side.

"Right then," the Doctor says, catching another substantially padded idiot and following Rich's lead.

Both men manage to land with the mercs for padding. They then move away from the two dazed individuals, leaving them rather alive. Up above the cyborg slides down and into the pit, losing his grip on the rail. He crumples at the bottom, having shorted something out that made his false leg work. The Doctor quickly pegs the direction the TARDIS is sitting at and plants the explosives along that wall. He then crouches down near where the Shrill will enter from. Richard nods to him.

Antonia discovers that she can't really drink her wine and enjoy her repast if she has to worry about the remote for the explosives. Besides she's never had problems with this not working out the way she wants once she's gotten this far with it. She picks up her opera glasses so she can see better and rubs her hand over her leg as she remembers the bloodletting that has just happened. It's enough to make anyone hot and bothered, honestly. In her distraction she does not see how the Doctor gets to the opposite side of the pit from Riddick, but she doesn't let that bother her. "Go Ultraviolet," she instructs Junner.

Suddenly everything goes black. Well, mostly black. Rich can still see. He suspects that Chillingsworth and Junner have some way to see. Maybe the Doctor can see. But the others, he figures are pretty blind right now. Off to his right he hears Imam mumble, "I was on a pilgrimage. Just a pilgrimage."

Jack's voice comes from the left; "This is bad, huh?"

There's the sound of rustling leather, "Ah, maybe not," says the Time Lord. He pulls out his yo-yo and gives it a good test spin. That bright neon green glows very yellow in this light. His second punch with it catches one of the Shrill that are sneaking in right in the brain case and it goes down with a shriek.

"What the fuck was that?" comes Johns' voice.

"A -- friend. Um. -- A _dead_ friend." The Doctor's accented voice comes from the region of the doors still.

"Huh? Wait, was that a Shrill?" the marshal asks.

The Doctor's voice leads to the other side of the room now, "Got it in one, William. Any good with a yo-yo?"

"From up here? Are you out of your mind?"

The man is moving fairly quickly, because now he's back near Rich, opposite the doors, "Didn't we have this conversation before? No. Wait. That was between me and Richard."

Fry says, "So how many are in here?"

"Give it a minute. I can't rightly tell," Riddick says. Actually he doesn't want to say. They are way outnumbered here. And the only reason they haven't found Thete yet is the fact that he's covered in merc blood. Which, maybe, might be the reason he jumped into the stuff in the first place. Unfortunately, the ex-ranger didn't think of that, and perhaps the fact that he's been tasting honey on his own tongue is why the bastards are advancing on him. "Imam, pray," he pleas softly.


	16. Part Sixteen Decadence

**A/N:**_Welcome to whitetigercub who has placed this on 'story alert'.  
Jelly Babies and thanks to my reviewers (yes, yes… an entire bag each, honest): OtherMeWriter, My Reflection, and Basia Orci__.  
Why thank you, and she hasn't even come unhinged yet…  
Yes, the 'necking' was a stroke of genius, wasn't it? Oddly enough, I dreamt that scene and had no idea where it fit until I was writing that chapter (hey I have weird dreams, what can I say?).  
The 'Collection' scene is inspired by such references, as Dante's Inferno and such, as well as the 'Toon this is based on. I'm quite glad that it came across the way I intended.  
And Guess What? Here's that second chapter. Sometimes being sick has unexpected rewards. Now if I could just kick this bug.  
_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Sixteen

Decadence

Antonia was – surprised – at the Doctor's maneuver with the sudden appearance of the odd glowing disk and string toy. She had checked the pockets of his coat, and they had been empty, completely empty. She wouldn't have given the garment away if they hadn't been. She'd been further – surprised – when he turned the toy into a weapon, very effectively. No wonder the Shrill had made such a fuss about him. Now the tentacled creatures couldn't seem to get a fix on him, although she is fairly sure that they know he's there somewhere. They have never had problems in this light before. And because of that she's – surprised – again when they begin to glow, giving away their numbers, in an effort to locate their quarry.

"Could I be seeing things, or does it look like the entire fucking cell of those freaks are in here?" the redhead says.

"Can I vote for 'seeing things'?" says the dark haired young man near him.

"No, Simon. This ain't a voting situation," the marshal replies becoming very uncomfortable.

"Well, then, I'd have to say that we are outnumbered here by about three to one."

"Brilliant."

"Thank you, I know."

"Awright you clowns, shut the fuck up so I can concentrate here," the bronze-toned figure on the fighting floor says.

"If you'd get me down, I'd help you, Moron," Billy says

"That's Sir-Moron, to you, dipshit," Riddick turns sideways as the creatures advance on him. He searching for the gun he knows that is in here somewhere.

"Sure, right. The weapon landed near Fry, Sir-Moron," Johns says to assist, because he watched exactly where the gun had gone. Richard dodges that way and the glowing yellow yo-yo comes out from behind him, catching the Shrill closest to gripping him with a wet squishy screech-filled splat. "Ouch. You know, some warning when you do that might be nice."

As the Shrill falls with a thud, the Doctor says, "And give them an advantage? I don't think so."

Some of the creatures are getting the impression that perhaps all the humans in this pit with them are the enemy, not just the one that smells sweet. Those few, about five, darken as they go into attack mode. The two mercs that had cushioned the fall are finally clambering to their feet. Because they have their guns out the more violent of the Shrill target them. The closer creature takes a swipe at the one that had leered at Jack, the tentacle going invisible. The merc spins to follow it, gunfire spraying the path where the appendage had been. It hits no Shrill, but there's a snapping sound and a childish squeal. Meanwhile, the other merc puts his gun away and moves quickly to the cyborg.

"Ali!" calls Imam. The sound of the globe rolling and knocking Shrill aside as it moves across the room alarms the priest.

"I'm ok! I'm good," Ali sounds breathless.

"I got 'im, Father," says Rich. Then to the boy, "Stay behind me."

The first merc lowers his gun and gapes at the emptiness. For a split second it appears that he might have driven the creatures away. Then he's suddenly lifted into the air by all four of the attacking Shrill's brightly glowing arms. He screams in panic, spraying additional gunfire across the upper area of the room and ceiling, rather wildly. His limbs are pulled back further apart and the Shrill injects him with some sort of stinger. The merc's screams become wails of agony, horrific and mercifully short lived, as the toxin makes him swell up and burst, leaving behind a toxic ooze of glowing goo that the Shrill pours over itself. This makes it go back to being docile.

"What the fuck!" Fry can't really react any other way. She panicked and terrified by the display and just barely remembers that she'll hang herself if she moves.

"Radioactive venom, breaks the body down into organic sludge that they can absorb through the skin. No mouth or digestive system, like most Skaro mutants," the Time Lord tells her.

"Take that would kill even you?" Rich asks.

"Yep. Don't get stung."

"And now you tell me. Thanks so much, Doctor."

"My pleasure."

The other aggressive Shrill zero in on the cyborg-merc and remaining fella, who has been trying to get his comrade back on his feet. The Cyborg levels his gun and shoots for the brain, popping one off, "I can fucking see you, even in the dark. Find another goddamn meal." This makes the three behind the dead one pause and turn. He pops off another, "That's for Charls, you sick fucks."

Now the remaining two aggressive Shrill have to make a choice. They can either go for the sweet smelling form that is free or the other seven that are captive that don't smell sweet. And because there are ten times their number still after the sweet scented one they go for another. Trying to peg Simon however proves to be a bad choice. River is able to 'run' her globe over bumping her brother's and somehow managing to get him onto her sphere with her. His globe flies back into the wall with enough force to squish the Shrill directly behind it that had been targeting him. She dodges the recoil from it and the ball rolls harmlessly to the center of the pit. He blinks rapidly at her, in the very dim purplish glow. She brings her globe to a dead stop and listens carefully. _Not now, Simon_. He stays quiet, but clings to her, his heart racing in his chest.

Richard is staying alive by moving constantly. Ali is doing a very good job of staying behind him. Finally he finds the gun. Snagging it he quickly aims and takes one of the closest shrill out. Sometimes a gun is a good thing. He estimates that there's about twenty of the bastards left in here, and this gun might hold an extended clip with fourteen shots, fully loaded then, he'd have thirteen left. Better make them count. "Sorry Billy, I think dodging is my main focus here."

"Limited Ammo?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Recognized the make. Don't worry about me," William quiped. They were both used to these kinds of outlandish fights, if anyone could even the odds, Riddick could. He reached back and pushed the Arabic boy into a corner, pegging off the Shrill that tried to sneak up on his side and rapidly doing the same on the other side. That made it eighteen to eleven.

In the center of the room the Doctor shifted the sphere to block a feint. "Hello there. Want to play with my yo-yo? Opps." He gets another, one behind him, in the braincase, making it wobble; "You'll have to give my toy back, now." He yanks, pulling the creature off balance. He grabs the spinner, stopping it. The Shrill lets off a high pitched shriek. "I do believe I already said I didn't like you either," The Doctor punches his fist into the creature's brain best he can with the cuffs on, and untangles the string from the protective spinning mandibles with the easiest of expertly applied tugs and lets go. If he's bothered by the slightly glowing sludge dripping down his arm he doesn't show it, "Thank you." It must have been enough because the Shrill deflates. Seventeen to eleven. He then has to dodge the first Shrill, but River doesn't give it time to actually reach him before running it over and hopping both herself and Simon back onto Simon's globe. The creature mows down three others, hitting the back wall softly enough that none of them are injured.

"Not the most luminescent of torches in the receptacle, are they?" River says.

"What?" Johns and Jack echo each other with the question.

"Brightest bulbs in the box?" Simon translates.

The marshal laughs, "No."

"The really smart ones use armor. Be thankful we're not fighting that kind."

Riddick takes out another couple with the gun, "I think we all are, Doctor."

Simon finds that his sister still has the sonic screwdriver. She can get the wrist cuffs off, but the collars are another issue, totally. "Hang on," she tells him as she swings her cuffs like a throwing stick and nails a Shrill with it. The creature lives up to -- or err, dies by -- its name. She then takes out another with his set. This knocks the numbers down thirteen to nine. Not that Rich is counting. River then leaves Simon on his sphere as she lightly leaps over to Ali's so she can maneuver around to each of them. This does not surprise him as much as it might some of the others. He has yet to find something that his sister is not brilliant at, so her acting like a blind juggler at a circus doesn't shock him at all. Her arrival at each of the other's spheres with the little blue light does slightly dumbfound most of them. Imam looks at her like she's an angel. She smiles and clobbers a Shrill as she steers to the next person, which happens to be the docking pilot. Fry looks very wobbly. What River really wants is to get her to the ground. "Upper locks are different. Very problematic."

"Here," says the Doctor from below her. She tosses the device to him, and then knocks a Shrill over the head, stunning, but not killing, it because the angle is bad. Rich shoots it. Eleven to eight. Odds are looking pretty even at the moment. The Doctor undoes his own wrist cuffs, fiddles with the screwdriver settings, frowns, tries it, and goes back to fiddling again. "Yes, quite difficult, that. Just a moment. There." Both Carolyn's and River's collars unclick. "Work on the collars first." He tosses the device back up to her then reaches for the blonde, "Come on, Carolyn." River catches the silver tube and moves off to the next person.

Jack says, "Shiny," as the neck restraint comes off.

Below him, Ali's voice comes with, "We're behind you, I think, Jack."

"Can't see here."

Riddick snorts, "You don't want to, trust me. Get onto your knees and slide down the back of the sphere. I'll catch you." The boy does so, and finds Ali clinging to him. After a moment Carolyn joins them, led by the Doctor. "Okay there, Doc? And don't glare at me, I can't see it, Bob."

"Oh, yes you can. Don't call me Doc. And for your information, I'm fine."

Johns sees the blue light and feels the collar open, "Can I kiss you?"

"No."

"Well, ok then." He slides to the floor. A Shrill snags his arm, "Fuck you." He lets it pull him in, making it impossible for it to catch his legs by tucking his knees up to his chest. Once he gets within kicking range he shoves his boot into its brain. "Ah, man. These things reek when they die." Ten to eight. He ends up in a heap on the slimy floor with his would-be killer.

River gets Simon and Imam unlocked. The Shrill have gone very quiet. Then again they've lost over half, more like two-thirds, their numbers and only removed one of the humans. Carefully all three of them descend to the floor. She takes both men by the hand and listens. "Marshal?"

"Yeah?" He's on the floor, caught by his boot. Simon goes to his knees. "Over here. I'm stuck." River leads Imam around to the others, passing the two mercs.

Simon finds Johns by voice then locates his trapped limb. "I can twist this counter, but you're going to have to move fast."

"No problem, Doc." They quickly get Johns unstuck. "I think it's busted. My foot's all numb."

Simon catches him under the arms; "You can't stay here." He drags him backwards. In the process Johns finds the second dropped gun. He feels it and notices it's got a nightsight scope. He snatches the thing and pulls it into his lap. Then he feels Fry helping.

"Get him to his feet!" Riddick orders. He can see the Shrill regrouping, looking for easy targets. Johns now qualifies.

"Come on, Bill." He manages to get his other foot into a non-slimy spot on the floor and helps to gain his feet. "Ok, I've got you. Lean on me," Carolyn says.

The cyborg says, "You're never gonna make it out of here. Even if you kill 'em all, she'll just send in more."

"I doubt it. She wants me for her 'private collection' and I have a feeling that means she'll want as little damaged as possible," Riddick says to him. "Besides, what do you care? She's sentenced you to the same fate."

He aims his gun at River; "There's more than one way to go."

She turns her head, hearing the movement, kicks the gun out of his hand and lands her knee in his throat, knocking him back to the floor. River then rolls away as a Shrill attempts to catch her. It snags the downed merc instead. As he's lifted into the air he screams from the venom, swelling and melting. His various machine parts clatter to the floor. River yanks Abu out of the fallout of the glowing sludge.

"Now that's what I call dim," Riddick tells the other merc. "You want to follow his example or ours."

"Y-yours?"

"Might just be the smartest man of the bunch," The Doctor says from his side. The merc squeals in surprise. He herds the man over to the others, "Of course, this means if you live then your 'Boss' will kill you, but…"

Carolyn says, "So how many are in here?"

"Ten," The Doctor takes away the merc's gun and shoots one, "Nine. How many shots are in this?"

"Err… five, now."

"Good man. Richard?"

"Maybe eight, if it was fully loaded." The Doctor switches guns with him so that Riddick knows exactly how many shots he's got.

"Before you ask, this clip is empty, but I got a scope. So -- " He detaches it and pitches the gun at a Shrill that isn't quite dark, "anyway."

River removes Jack's cuffs and then expertly pitches them at the same blob that Bill had thrown at. The Shrill screams. "Eight," she says, "But only three sets of chains left."

"It's not fully loaded. The clip has one shell in it."

Now that's a bummer of a deal. Rich figures that they have enough bullets to take out six, and there are eight. They have no misses, and no leeway. But he's fought worse odds. He aims at the leader, "Sorry, we ain't food for you." The Shrill goes down with a bang, and the gun jams on the next shot. "Fucking piece of shit."

River pops the cuffs off of Carolyn and calls, "Duck!" Lucky for her they all know she means 'down' not the waterfowl. The target that Richard was aiming for also dips down, but the improvised weapon hits the one behind it, sailing through the braincase and jerking it back before it falls. The Doctor takes aim with the last shot and eliminates the leader. The other five fall back.

"Call them off, Antonia."

Laugher floats down to them. "Actually, I'm considering adding some additional targets for you, Doctor." River removes the cuffs from William and passes the sonic screwdriver back to the Time Lord. At the moment he's wishing he saved a bullet for their charming hostess.

"One of mine dies in here and you will pay for it with your life."

River pulls her shiv and crouches, holding the stiff chains in the other hand. She's ready for this.

Riddick glances at her. He knows she can't see anything but that doesn't seem to be a problem for River. The ex-ranger discards the useless gun and pulls his blade. The odds aren't so bad. The Doctor's got his yo-yo, River's got a blade and a set of chains, and he's got his weapon. Three to five. Not so bad. Then the Doctor surprises him by using the screwdriver to alter the lights, just enough to give them more of a chance. He figures it is for River's sake, but the fact that the lights are hot might just make a difference. He smirks. Stepping out in front of the others, making himself the target, he says, "You wanna go? Let's go."

The Shrill flash at him, then one makes a lunge. He dodges. A second swipes at him and he catches the limb with his shiv slicing along the tentacle, slitting it open. That Shrill reels back screaming in agony. Richard still has his cuffs on, and frankly he doesn't care. He uses them to block an incoming attack rather effectively. Using the same trick twice gets him scooped off his feet and thrown across the pit however.

"Amadak!" The Doctor flicks the yo-yo out to ensnare the offending Shrill. He growls at it and yanks until the string of his toy slices through a tentacle. It turns away from the downed prize and flashes at him. "That's right, you've been after the wrong target, all this time. I'm right here." Instead of attacking the Shrill back further. Maybe it's that _Look_ he's giving them.

While the creatures try to regroup with two of them now injured, Riddick gets back to his feet. He's slightly dazed from the landing. One of the five that had not taken a swipe at him does only to get jabbed with Richard's shiv. It's enough to get the creature to back away.

"River, don't."

"Quiet Simon. I need to listen."

Richard decides to press his new advantage with a series of jabs and blocks, carefully singling out the one creature he cut open before. The other three move to protect the one the Doctor sliced the limb off of, leaving the one the ex-ranger is after to fend for itself. Desperate, the Shrill tries a thrust with its stinger and ends up shattering Riddick's shackles. Seeing that the move didn't work it tries slamming him back with a powerful blow, only it fails to recall the sharp blade its opponent is wielding. The tentacle falls away and it squeals in surprised pain. The sound makes all the Shrill pause.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Chillingsworth can barely sit still; the heat of need burns so brightly. Oh yes, she wants that bronze-skinned man for her collection. With him in place her next bit of performance art would shatter her previous ones. "Beautiful, beautiful creature," she breathes out as she grips the cushions of the lounge in an effort to not touch herself.

Junner doesn't even look over at her. He doesn't need to. He knows she's in the throws of heightened passion. And he has a feeling that she's not looking at the Shrill. But it's always his place to cheer the underdogs of any battle and in this case it seems to be the tentacled creatures, "Shrill are an exquisite species."

She rolls her eyes. But of course he'd play this the traditional way. "I'm talking about the man. Um. Do you think you could do better?"

Placing down the opera glasses, Junner turns to her. "I am always willing to please you, mistress."

She parts her legs and points to the floor between them, "Come here." He smirks and moves to do her bidding. "Ah, yes. _Just_ like that."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Richard feels more than sees the Doctor step up to assist him. The Shrill he's injured still has two good limbs and is more determined then ever. One of the uninjured creatures glides over in an effort to protect it, but it refuses to back away. They begin using their color changes to confuse or confound, not realizing that their opponent is color blind.

"They're gonna kill him!" Jack tries to move to Riddick's defense and Imam pulls him back.

"No, Jack. The Doctor is there. They know what they are doing."

In front of them River uses the last cuff-weapon to bring down a Shrill that was trying to sneak around behind the Time Lord and the ex-ranger. Drat. There is still four remaining. She looks at the knife in her hand and flips it. Fair balance for throwing, but she'd have no weapon then. Still if she could knock the enemy to three and two of those are injured… Yes that would be worth it. She freezes as she listens to the movement. Her spin and throw makes Fry scream. The Shrill she downs was just out of tentacle range of that side of the group.

The other injured Shrill joins in the dance against the Doctor and Richard, perhaps surmising that the larger group is more deadly. The trio settles into a perfect rhythm, barely broken by the missing limbs. Riddick focuses on them, ready for their next move, coiled and waiting. The trio moves apart, causing both males to step back defensively. Then the Shrill stop flashing, and after the brightness of their vivid colors are impossible to see.

"To the left!" calls Jack. Richard barrels a sphere into the target that Jack indicates, tipping it off balance and catching it with his blade. The result is that the Shrill falls away head apart from body, not quite dead, but dying quickly. At the same time the Doctor dodges out of the way, causing the Shrill after him to poke it's stinger into the sphere behind him.

"Nasty little lab specimen," the Time Lord grips the its spinner, "Wonder how you cope without this?" The Doctor plunges his hand in and rips out a section of brain. The thing goes off like a flash bulb.

This distracts Riddick, "Huh?"

"No!" Jack screams the warning as Riddick turns to see the third Shrill nearly on him. Imam struggles to keep Jack back, as the Shrill catches Riddick by the arms and immobilizes him. His shiv goes flying. This causes the boy to struggle even harder, and Abu cannot hold him. He runs forward, grabs one of the tentacles on the floor that is more or less intact and whips it around the attacking creature in an effort to stop it from stinging Riddick. The Shrill flips the boy off like a minor annoyance. Jack tumbles across the floor and finds himself near River's shiv. But Jack is not the only one trying to interfere. The Time Lord pesters it to keep it from getting a hold of the con's legs. The creature bats the Doctor off, sending him flying into a sphere. He hits hard, causing the heavy globe to fly back and then tumbles hand over foot into the wall. "Doctor!" Screams the green-eyed boy. He doesn't respond or move, but the Shrill readies itself to inject its captive… And Rich twists in such a way that it cuts its own tentacle off. This catches Jack's attention again,"Riddick?" Jack calls as he plucks River's blade out of the sludge.

The bronze man reaches his hand out, "Here!" The green-eyed boy throws the blade his direction, and he swings his arm slightly to catch it. Moving quickly he cuts his other hand free. The Shrill, enraged and in pain, rears its stinger back. Riddick whips the tentacle around his arm into the center of the creature and allows it to pull him in. With a bright flash of light the fight is over. The room goes dark.


	17. Part Seventeen Cozenage

**A/N:**_Jelly Babies, by the scoop, and thanks to my reviewers. Heck, I'll even sprinkle a little out for my readers. **;-D**  
Basia Orci: Thank you! That was an amazingly fun chapter to write.  
mirth513: My pleasure. The BBC is generous with the ebooks I must admit. You can also find 'photo' novels for free that are based on the lost episodes they – um – accidentally got rid of -- on the same site.  
OtherMeWriter: Me had/has the flu… fever and the works, only reason I stayed home at all. Colds suck, don't they?  
My Reflection: Hehe… Antonia's just about to the point where she realizes exactly why all those people kept their eyes on her back in her collection room. Yes, 'the escape' happens in a **big** way.  
What transpires when a bunch of 'most wanted' gets free on a ship filled with mercs? Read on to find out…_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Seventeen

Cozenage

It was black, dark. And warmer than he'd like. Even with his bare arms. Something was crusted on right hand, really, quite nasty, that. Um, bare arms? Oh, his coat was under him; he could feel the leather on the back of his neck and a button was digging in at a very uncomfortable spot. His back is against something hard at an odd angle. Gravity is tilted funny. Or is that his body? He rights himself, lowering his legs and twisting so that the wall and floor make more sense to his personal quota of 'up' and 'down'. Then he slumps to the floor too tired to care about how decent or not it looks as pale orange explodes behind his eyelids that fades to a warm white. What the hell happened here?

It takes a moment for Thete to realize that the whiteness is lights that have come back on. And it takes another breath more for his ears to process that someone is clapping, marring the silence that should be paid in respect to the dead. So many dead. His hearts ache, remembering the roll he's played in the massacre. He opens his eyes and sees Amadak on his hands and knees. There's a flash of quicksilver as their eyes meet. No thoughts or emotions other than relief pass in that glance. He pushes himself up, mirroring the bronze man's position, catching his coat with his left hand.

Now, who is making that outlandish racket? Oh, right. They still have to escape from the insane Antonia Chillingsworth. It must be her clapping. He recalled hearing the most obscene moans from that direction before he was knocked for a loop, but if there's any scent evidence of it his nose is out for the duration because the heat of the lights are making the Shrill corpses decompose.

His eyes scan over the others. Jack is on his side, curled but realizing that the lights are on. River is looking up at the white haired figure on the balcony with a frown on her face. Abu has his arm around Ali and the boy is half buried in his side, but the holy man is giving their hostess a look that just might read, 'rot in hell'. Simon has a hand on his sister's shoulder and is blinking like he's slightly blinded still from the lights. Carolyn and William are holding each other, with the docking pilot supporting the marshal because of his injury. Both are looking up like they have never seen anything crazier than what they are witnessing right now.

Then there's the merc. The fat man is bewildered and thankful to be alive. He looks up at his boss, then reaches out and grabs Jack by the back of the kid's pants and slides him into the bulk of the group. Passing the boy over to Imam he says, "Ok there, boy?" Jack swallows and nods. "Pretty gusty, kid. Just don't get yourself killed." Abu pulls the honey haired child in and hugs him protectively, never taking his eyes off the clapping woman above them.

Richard drops his head, now that he knows Thete is all right, and slips the goggles back down. His intention as he stands is to get the Time Lord and get the fuck out of here. Two steps away from the Doctor and the clear bell-like voice freezes him in his tracks, "Bravo!" He glances back at her to see Junner looking like he's a cat with the cream as he moves up to his mistress's side. Sick bastard. He feels the crusted-with-Shrill-snot large cold hand settle into his own and he gives a tug, catching the off balance man as he comes to his feet. "The grace, the expression, the sheer violence of it." Now, even the merc is looking up at her like she's lost every marble she's ever possessed. Riddick swings a possessive arm around _his_ Time Lord and growls, his face setting into a snarl. "Exquisite," their hostess breathes out rather moan-like.

He drags the man in his arms back toward the others. They, as a group, meet him halfway. "Give --" he rumbles.

"What?" Simon inquires.

"Give River the shivs."

Imam has no reason to follow the order but he does anyhow, sending Jack to snag the other shiny bit of metal out of the sludge while he plucks the one from the corpse closest to him. River glances at the con, and knows, just knows, what he has in mind. She eyes the distance again and makes the calculations. She can hit this target.

Above them on the ledge, Junner has turned to watch his mistress give her gushing review of the battle. She leans forward, hands on the rail, "Such a complete and thorough performance." She has eyes only for Riddick and the Doctor, not even paying attention to the others. "It leaves only one question."

Abu passes the blade to Simon who hands it to his sister. Jack skids to his knees next to River, "I got a feeling they're not gonna like it." River takes the weapon from him and shakes her head, slowly moving into a crouching position.

Antonia closes her eyes, "How will I ever have you lovers mounted…" She starts to straighten and River flicks her wrist back, ready to throw, "to do it justice?" The dark haired girl lets the blade fly, and it's only the watchful eye of Junner that keeps it from striking true. He tugs his mistress out of the way leaving her with a deep slice across her arm, "What _are_ you --" The second blade doesn't fly at all as he tugs his captain back out of the line of sight. The owner of the _Kubla Kahn_ pushes her second in command away and looks at the blood sheeting down her arm. Only a half a step closer and she spots the Doctor, his coat half on, holding his sonic screwdriver and pointing it to the more distant, side, wall.

Suddenly the Doctor's actions back in her trophy room have a new, non-sexual meaning, "No!" How could she have been so blind? He's outwitted her.

"Down! Now!" Richard orders.

The man gives her a manic grin and depresses a button, "Thanks for the explosives!" He calls as his group ducks to the floor to avoid the scattering debris from the twin booms. Her ship! He's blown a hole in her beautiful ship! Those, she realizes, were the implanted devices from their necks. The Doctor hadn't been impaired at all. In fact he's played her for the sucker the entire time. She feels bubbling anger rising. How dare he?

The explosion rocked the pit floor; making most of them fall flat even though they had ducked. River jumped up quickly and held the sleeve of the Doctor's jumper over her nose. The thick black smoke stinks, almost as much as the decomposing bodies around them. She tugs her brother up and gives him a push toward the source of the smoke. _Help the storm get his earth up_! Simon coughs and scrambles that way. Beside her Jack and Ali are pulling Imam up and the merc is helping Carolyn with William.

Currently the thick arid smoke blocks the view of the pit. Chillingsworth can do nothing but fume in anger as she waits for the scrubbers to clear the air. Junner steps up to her, holding the controls for the emergency atmospheric units. At least he's doing the correct thing in this instance. As the view clears she sees the Time Lord and the smaller dark haired man pulling her prize to his feet. Past them the others, in groups of twos and threes, are moving for the still smoldering gap in the wall. The dark skinned priest and like-garbed boy disappear through it first, followed by the blonde woman, redheaded man, and _– isn't that one of her men?_ – She grits her teeth and clenches her fists. The dark-haired girl and honey haired boy are urged out by the young man that must be her sibling as he, the Doctor and Riddick follow. Her 'art' is escaping!

Her anger knows no bounds. "We'll need to rouse a substantial pursuit force," she grinds out.

The tall pale dark-haired man asks the most reasonable question given the belly-up nature of the situation, "Who?"

Reasonable is not worth much with Antonia at the moment, however. She is quite in danger of overloading her implants because she's so very infuriated, practically ticking as she turns on him, "_All_ of them!" He opens his mouth in shock and takes half a step back from her. "Even the 'Golls!" Now he's more than shocked, alarm doesn't do the feeling he's having justice. A slight squeak manages to make it out of his throat. She's advancing on him now, and he instinctively backs from her. "Any man or _thing_ that can hold a weapon!" Junner snaps his jaw closed and grits his teeth as he comes into contact with the wall. "Every. Last. One!" She is in his face now, nearly frothing at the mouth. "_Now_!" She grinds the heel of her boot into the top of his in her anger, causing him to agree with her. Anything she wants, he'll do. Even if it means the beginning of the end.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Slowly, ever so slowly, the burning man came back into his flesh. He didn't really burn anymore, his sanity had become not so, and his fire had been traded away for this one last chance at revenge. The room is silent, but for the frozen screams. It's too bright here, too artificial, too engineered.

He smells the battle, knows it's happening right now, red blood spilled, green blood spilled, all the same to him. The Storm touched him, and made him an offer, aid for death, power for temporarily being lucid. He took and gave; willing child of the Red Guardian that it made him. No fire now, just an internal rage, fueled by intense hate of all things so sickeningly perfect.

He loosens his body, carefully coming to the floor, free of the drugs that have been in his system for so long. He's not sure how, but that doesn't matter. He's heard that the Guardians are like Gods. Like his forever-Eternal Shirah, the Maiden of Pain, only more powerful. The golden Lady, Verity, Truth, Reality, had told him, given him promises and like her name, her Twin, Justice, Candor, Morality, had come to him and asked a price for his soul.

Miracles are never without cost.

So he paid, willingly. And now, his aura is gone; he's left with ashes, but knows peace is coming. And he'll have his revenge, one way or another. Because nothing survives that the Storm doesn't want to survive. And he's merely a tool of that universal force of nature, now. Pity those who don't believe. Time seethes here, a hidden layer of the Storm's power, raging about this space threatening to erase it completely. And that's all right too. Because he'll still be dead and it's all he's ever wanted.

So, while she is occupied he can unchain the souls trapped in her web.

They are linked together by their hate of her, driven by the same thing, and each one he touches flashes with acceptance or denial of his mission. Those who say 'no' will be freed later, once he has enough willing helpers to ensure that revenge is certain.

He's not surprised that they all say 'yes.'

Faster now, he moves through the room, shutting off lights, throwing the room into shadowed darkness; and yanking the power to the hidden pumps of the cryo-drugs, freeing his fellows of the burdens they carry. They are hundreds. Behind him the cone slowly crumples as those comprising it help each other to the floor. 'Paintings' melt as the individual criminals lower themselves down off the walls. Triads and pairs come apart, and tables shatter their tops as those making the bases drop them.

Now, to find her…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Junner managed to slip away from his mistress, but the conservatory is not the same when he opens the hidden door. It's dark. That's odd, it's _never_ dark. Then he spots the shadowy figures moving through the space, pausing to tear up furniture for weapons, or to rip off curtains to drape as clothing. They are working together, like they possess a mass mind, and they are eerily quiet. He manages to not be spotted by the mostly nude, still waking, partially armed individuals in there. He locks the door, pulls out the emergency bars for it, and heads back to where Antonia is still stressing. "Mistress, we have far bigger problems than your latest project being stubborn."

"What?!?" She practically flies at him.

He catches her, by the wrists, and shakes her. "Someone has _shut off_ the cryo systems to the conservatory." He shakes her again; "They are all_ awake_. Every psycho, every murderer, every rapist…" He knows she dislikes being touched, and under normal situations he never would, but this is not normal. "You are injured, the ship is under attack, and there's not a single prisoner still captive. Once more, We Are Trapped!"

She looks behind him to see that the forms in this chamber are also beginning to stir. Wild-eyed she says, "My remote." The second in command of the_ Kubla Kahn_ grabs it and pulls his rifle. She snags the multi-buttoned device from him and pushes a secret code. "This way, Junner." He glances and nods. She heads out the hidden passage and he follows her. Behind them the figures begin to head their way. The door closes and they pounce on it, trying to find a way to reopen it. Junner prays that the suddenly seemingly flimsy metal does not buckle. There's only one thing he can do now, and that is to trip the silent alarm alerting the crew of a full-wake-up and armed-duty emergency.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Harley hears the silent alarm, like most other mercs in positions of power, and regular crewmembers do. And while everyone else jumps to get those on ice thawed, she glues herself to her brother, knowing that in this situation, hell in _any_ situation, he's likely more dangerous than the perceived emergency.

"So, what's goin' on?" He asks her, as he lights a cigar. They are watching the halls fill with personal, people flowing out of various work rooms and control centers, all heading toward the armory. She licked her lips, not sure how much to tell him. She is, after all, breaking the rules, by not heading that way herself. "Listen, Honey, I know you gotta know. You've been waking this entire time, and I see you put on at least five years experience since I set eyes on you last. No one spends five years on this ship awake without climbing the ladder. So spill." He backs her up against the wall and puts a hand on her throat.

She swallows. He sniffs her, then licks the side of her face. Harley turns away from him; "It's an 'all-wake, all-armed alert'. They're de-icin' everybody." He pulls back and looks around, still keeping her pressed to the wall.

"That happen, before? Ever?" She shakes her head. "Never?"

"Get the fuck off me, Toombs!"

He catches a handful of her hair, "You're gonna patch me into the system, got that? If you don't I'm gonna rape you with my gun until you bleed."

She grips his wrist, "Fuckin' sick perv! Let go!"

"Rank don't mean shit to me, little girl. Now, patch me in, yeah?" he jerks her by her hair.

"Whatever! I don't care. You want the inside scoop on Chillingsworth's dirty laundry? Fine, just let go."

He transfers his grip to her arm and drags her into the deserted control room. Tossing her at a station he says, "Do it, now."

She scrambles into the seat, swearing under her breath. They're gonna know she jacked the system, and she's gonna be in so much fucking trouble. She'll be lucky if Junner doesn't shoot her. "Nothing. They've been looking for some odd energy readings."

"Keep digging."

"For – wait, you want me to crack the Boss's personal lookup?"

"Oh, you _have_ gotten sharp over the last few years, sister. Do it." She shakes her head and feels the edge of his gun against her temple. "I'm not asking, Harley-love. I'm tellin'. So – _do_ it."

She knows he'll shoot her. And then rape her as she dies, likely. So she presses the system further, "Did a historical reference lookup, on the inter-system database. Called up a Skaro-document, and translated it. Various personal lookups. Background check on --"

"Go back." He watches the screen, "Slow it down." The bounty gets his attention; "Oh! Jumping Jesus. Oh, come to Papa, you beautiful bald bastard. Wait, this is a voice pattern check, correct?"

"Yes."

"What would someone have to do to rank a one-point-one-two-six _million_ price tag?" He pondered it for a moment, "Ah, what the hell. Who cares what he's done? He's mine now."

"They're signaling an emergency in the conservatory." He looks at her, "If you want this guy that bad, then maybe you'll listen to me."

"I'm listening."

"He came in through the maintenance bay, took out fifty without a scratch, I'm betting that he's heading back the way he came. The Boss sent me there to find a bomb, but we came up with nothing. Now I'm wondering if it wasn't a false plant, and maybe there's a small undetected ship linked up with a maintenance port. And perhaps the energy signature was a cover for the engine."

He scratches his chin, looks at the intel, looks at her, "Not a bad theory. Let's go."

"Wait, wait… I've got men, under my command, they could help."

"No. Just you and me, sister." He drags her out of the chair. "Just like old times, _Honey-bun_."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The Doctor is, for a change, in the lead. He's busted the internal sensors again, throwing them into the greenish glare of the backup lights, but eliminating the gravity. Anyone watching the right systems would be able to track them, of course, but he's betting that there is enough chaos behind them that no one is watching any system at the moment. He should feel guilty. Only, somehow, he just can't quite make himself carry that burden, this time. He warned her, after all. Many, many chances he gave her. Behind him are Johns and Carolyn and the merc, and really he should have asked the man for a name only it didn't occur to him at the time and now he's just a little busy.

The trio is managing fair enough. Simon and River are behind them, and Ali, Abu, Richard and Jack are in the rear. He's managed to get them this far alive, now he really needs to get back to the TARDIS. Not that he wants another stray puppy…, which the merc is, but he can't justify leaving the man behind, either. Maybe he can just dump him off with Abu. That might be interesting to explain, the resulting seventeen-year gap. Ah well, he'd offer and let the man decide for himself.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Toombs and Harley met up with Carver and a couple of his men, "Hey, Commander. You hear what the fuck is going on?" Carver calls.

"Only the bare-bones. You look like shit," Harley brings Toombs to a halt, and he looks. Sure enough it appears that Carver and his men have seen a fight. They are bruised and bloodied and more than a little tattered.

"Someone turned off the ice to the conservatory! All the nutters are awake, trying to break out. And we got runners, but no way to get to the pit. Well, the back way might be open. If you got a manual override for the doors. I don't."

"I do," Harley licked her lips. Toombs squeezed her arm in a threatening fashion. "I know who the runners are, Carver. It's that Doctor dude, and his companion, Riddick, isn't it."

"Yeah." Carver swallows, "Took out all the Shrill. Down to the last one. And the Boss let 'em. I was there, not that I could see shit, with the fancy lights an' all, but trust me, you don't want this guy coming after you."

Toombs is intrigued, "Meaning what?"

Carver looked at him, "Meanin' the man is inhumanly strong and fast. Took out two cyber-freaked steroid juicers, this Doctor chap. By 'is fuckin' self. Then he took out Dank, remember 'im? Broke his bloody arms and shoulders in nine places and gave him the mother of all concussions, just 'cuz he had the gent's bloody jacket. And Riddick… The Boss gave him back his blade and he cut down five of my men while still in chains before he even got into the pit. And 'course the bitch didn't give a rip."

"You're shitting me?"

"Head to the med bay and see for yourself." Carver jerked his head the direction of the indicated bay, "Not that you'll see much of Charls anymore. The Shrill got 'em."

Toombs looks at Harley, then back at Carver, "And what if I told you that Riddick alone was worth enough to buy out the contract on this bloody boat. For all five of us. And get a ship."

"I'd say, 'I've seen enough of this shit, let's go' but he's got to be worth at least three-fourths a million for that."

"Try one-point-one-two-six million."

"Come on then, I'll show you 'round back." They are able to retrace the route back into the pit using the 'monster' entrance, thanks to Harley's security override. It's a mess inside. One wall is smoking with a gaping hole, there's sludge, plexi-glass, metal shards, stiff shackles and man-sized globes everywhere. Not to mention the green blood which paints the black surfaces liberally with a drying film. Up on the ledge there's mercs shooting naked figures armed with handmade clubs and bits of sharp edges that look like pieces of shattered tabletops. And really it looks like the nude people are winning because they outnumber the mercs who are rapidly being overwhelmed. "Bloody fools, told them to let Chillingsworth wipe her own ass this time and do they listen? No."

Toombs prods the sludge with his foot, "What in the hell happened here?"

"Shrill." The bruised and battered commander points to another pile that has mechanical bits littered in it like a robot exploded, "An' that is a Cyborg. Got stung. Think the chap turned on the Doctor or something."

"You're not making fuckin' sense." Toombs recalls that Carver never did make much sense, really. The man's a commander through sheer luck and longevity, not brains.

"Three of the boys fell in too, and the Doctor must've offered them something because one of _my_ men switched sides and is helping them, right now. Can you bloody believe it?"

The single woman in the group is getting fucking fed up with the shit, the stench, the smoke, and the stupidity. "This is – just shut up and take point!" Harley snarled at them. Carver blinks and does so without a word of back talk. She flips on her spotlight, "Burn 'em!" Carver's men fall into line like they've been following her orders for years.

Toombs is impressed. His little Honey has grown up. And he wants her more than ever, "Grab your panties, boys."


	18. Part Eighteen Check

**A/N: **_What transpires when a bunch of 'most wanted' gets free on a ship filled with mercs? Read on to find out…(Part two, and it's slightly graphic.)  
Special thanks to CelestialMoonDragon who has placed this on "favorite Story" and left a review. (Bows and passes bag of Jelly Babies). Welcome to my mutant plot bunny. And of course I've got the Doctor's favorite sweet for my regular reviewers too: OtherMeWriter, My Reflection, and Basia Orci.  
Harley's no angel, I want to mention. I'm writing her as a complex minor character who will show up again. But her relationship with Toombs isn't as one sided as she likes to pretend. With that in mind, there's a surprise bit of semi-graphic sexual encounter coming up in this chapter… just to warn you.  
The 'Golls? Um. Right. Guess it's time for a short history lesson from Riddick's 'verse? According to the Mythos of CoR there were 4 original colonies. Furya, Alysum, Quintessa, and Kova. Each of these colonies were formed by individuals with certain outlooks that molded them. Kova's society gave rise to a religious/cultural group that embraced technology, self-mutilation, and various sciences relating to gene-splicing, cybernetics, body enhancement, etc. Those that are very heavy into this are called 'Rychengolls' Outsiders shorten this to 'Golls. Properly devout Rychengolls believe that in order to become one with god that they must blind themselves, be bound (surgically attached) physically (back to back) with another like minded soul, and then die in combat. I did not come up with this on my own. There's a flash-based game called "Hunt for Riddick" on the movie website that has a little blurb about them and that's what it says.  
'Golls /Kovans are known for their fast ships and their love of pirating. Johns mentions them in his Chase Log because at one point Riddick is attacked by a group of them and he takes their ship. Johns comment is "Eh, they're shitty fighters, anyhow." Also Riddick steals a Kovan freighter from an Aquilan outpost on his way to UV6. Quite frankly, I believe that Chillingsworth is a Kovan and the Kubla Kahn is a Kovan ship. Dark Athena from the next gen version of EFBB might be Kovan (or 'Goll) too, but as I haven't actually seen any shots of it I don't know of sure (All I do know is that the captain likes to make techno-zombies out of everyone encountered). But the 'Golls in Antonia's employ make her look sane, as you'll see here…_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Eighteen

Check

The burning man knew his quarry was no longer here. Her scent was too faint. But he's been close to her, closer than most any of the others. He knows her. He can find her, without a doubt. He can feel her on his skin and in his bones. He can taste her. There's no place for her to go that he can't find her.

He picked up a weapon, a big gun, and turned it on the doors that led into the rest of the ship, the ones that the Red Guardian had been delivered through. He knew this because his stand with its plaque declaring that he was** Furyan Killer of Men** faced that way. There were more armed men waiting, but the big gun had big explosions from its big bullets.

He laughed at the destruction and the blood raining down. It was time to find her. Most others are too busy fighting to notice him as he leaves. That's all right. He'll find their tormenter and remove her head for all of them. He takes a deep breath. Her scent is known to him, he could find her anywhere. And in his lucid state he's just genius enough to avoid any that might stop him.

He follows her trail up; up… she is heading to the upper aft flight deck where her shuttle is. But the route will take her through a storage bay. He can ambush her there.

Behind him a group of fifty is tearing apart any merc stupid enough to try to follow him. With luck some of them will survive long enough to reach the real target.

Further back, the others spill out into the bulk of the ship spreading like a foaming mass of insane flesh rending monsters, killing anyone who doesn't get the fuck out of their way. Bullets only stop them when they die, and they are all practiced, determined, crafty killers. Insanity doesn't alter the instinctive ability to end life that they possess. Being outnumbered four to one is not really bad odds for them even if the four have guns.

The once pristine halls of the _Kubla Kahn_ become coated in ruby with the gore, carnage, blood and guts of battle, as killing is not enough for the 'art' spreading out it's long awaited revenge. They must destroy. Eliminate every semblance of humanity from their tormenter. And every merc they see has white hair and green eyes, even if they don't. So they rend and stomp, and tear and smear, and bash and rip as they dance in the blood of those foolish enough to attempt challenging them. In their wake they leave behind bodies that look like they've been exploded apart, scattered arms and legs and heads and bits of internal organs trampled into the sanguine paint for variation.

She had called each of them an 'artist' of flesh and bone at one time, after all.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They turn a corner, still floating. There's a way up and they need to go that direction. The Doctor aims his sonic screwdriver at three different locations and cuts off the sensors in the area. After a moment the emergency lights come on. The others catch up with him. This junction looks familiar. After a moment Johns says, "Must be heading the right way. There's where I shot that guy wearing the garish orange suspenders." He points up at the hole in the wall from his shotgun blast.

"Ah, so that's why this looks familiar," Simon quips, "I wouldn't have recognized it without the bodies floating around."

"Son, you have a strange sense of humor," the Time Lord says to him.

"So I've been informed," the Tam scion nods his head at that.

Imam clears his throat, "Which way do we go?"

The Doctor points, "The TARDIS moved."

"How far?" Rich asks.

"She's on the second to the top level, in a storage bay."

Riddick looks at Jack, "Hop on my back, piggy-back style, that's right." He catches Jack's legs and crosses the boy's ankle over his waist, "Hang on." Then he pushes off sailing up and across the space.

The Doctor looks at Abu; "Can you get Ali?"

"Yes."

"William," he reaches for the man's arm.

"I'm not piggy-backing on your back."

"Oh, don't be absurd. I can support you better than Carolyn, but there's no reason you can't pull your own weight here. Arm around my waist, injured ankle between us."

"Right."

Ali and Imam set off following Riddick, with the Doctor and Johns behind them. Fry, River, Simon, and the merc pull up the rear. The last of them is settling into the proper passage when a roar shudders through the ship. "What the hell was that?" says Jack.

The merc swallows. Riddick puts a hand out to stop Jack from repeating the question. The merc says "It's the 'Golls. Anyone bleeding?"

"No, but we're all covered in Shrill-slime," says Carolyn. "I imagine if it tracks by scent that the reek from that alone is enough to lead it right to us."

"Well, I hope I go to heaven then, for my good deed. Because that monster will kill us all."

"Not if I can help it." Thete looks very dangerous. "Tell me everything you know about this 'monster' in as much detail as you can recall, alright?" The merc nods. "And, what _is_ your name?"

"Kevin. Nice to meet you, Doctor."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A second wave of trackers enters the pit through the still open 'monster' door. There are seven humanoid cyborgs and one mutant cyborg of monstrous proportions. The half mechanical – half flesh 'Goll handlers are struggling against the huge creature as it slurps the sludge off the floor. There's no telling what the creature started out as, for now it has four hydraulic limbs that dwarf its tiny, in comparison to the rest of it, natural legs that dangle uselessly under it. The experiments it's been subjected to have mutated it beyond recognition. It's got a multitude of eyes like a spider, layers of blubber like a whale, a tooth filled mouth like a shark, a tongue like an anteater (only about a thousand times the size), and the disposition of a hyena, all with the brain the size of a pea. It's a single-minded hunter, if a stupid one.

The head handler searches for something to give it for scent but comes up blank except for the sludge itself. There's indication that the quarry kneeled in it, at the very least. He coats the swab in it with a shrug. Not as good as blood, but better than nothing. He holds the swab up and offers it to the creature. This will prime it to hunt and kill anything that's been in this stuff.

The monster eats the swab.

"Turn it --"

It eats the head handler.

The other 'Golls hasten to let go of the thing and check their shoes. The creature lumbers forward, roars and then turns. It eats one of the other 'Golls before they can get their animal prods up and convince it to move into the passage. Once into the tunnel it has no choice but to go forward. Dimwitted as it is, it forgets the possible meal behind it and sets off after the faint trail it can scent.

The remaining five 'Golls congratulate each other. Or would be, until the naked people with clubs, that they hadn't really been paying attention too -- yes those nude psychos with the bits of sharpened stone and glass in their hands that they are using as bladed weapons -- start jumping down over the rail from the balcony above. Being as they aren't very combat orientated, the 'Golls back up, slip in the sludge on the floor and are overwhelmed by the wave of killers that are intent on beating them to bloody pulp. The 'Golls are not mercs but science nerd types and their animal prods are quickly turned on them. Only once the last one fails to scream when its clobbered do the naked, quite single-mindedly insane, people stop pounding, slashing, or prodding.

That accomplished, the escaped 'art' begins to flood out through the large open door in search of other clothed bodies to smash or rip apart.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They are still on the ledge when the first tracking party catches up to them, or rather enters the large multi-story chamber behind them. Riddick's been standing guard as the Doctor grills Kevin for information. He spots the beams of light from the five behind them and ducks back. The movement makes one of the tracking mercs say, "What the --?"

Three others, Carver and his men, cut loose with gunfire.

One bullet ricochets and grazes the ex-ranger's shoulder. He hisses and goes to slap a hand over it.

"Don't, you've got Shrill-guts all over you." Simon catches his wrist. "Let me treat it."

"It's just a graze."

"We need to move," Johns interrupts. Simon wipes the wound with a cleaning pad and sprays it with derma heal before giving Rich a look that says, 'all done.' He pushes the Doc down the passage and snags William by the belt loops as he sets off after the others.

Below them Toombs grabs Carver's gun, "Alive! We need him alive." Then there's another roar, louder and closer, and he knows what that means, "That Bitch! Move!" He grabs Harley around the waist and tosses her toward the upper passage before kicking off himself.

She knows now that they are fighting against very limited time. She's seen the 'Goll mutant before, in test runs, and she knows once it's primed to hunt it won't stop until every last target is gone. So when Toombs flings her into the air she streamlines herself to fly as fast and as far as she can.

"It's not like it can climb!" Carver calls.

"It don't need to climb, it's too stupid to know that the wall's not a fuckin' floor!" Toombs screams back at him. He's gaining on his sister, and something clicks in his mind. There's only one thing that the 'Golls could have used to prime that thing with, and they walked in it. "And guess what? It's not gonna be picky about who is lunch either!"

"Oh shit." Carver kicks off and tries to gain on Toombs and Harley, his men close behind.

Toombs pulls his knife, catches the gray-eyed woman by her ankle, and slices through Harley's bootlaces, "Kick 'em off, sister." He doesn't pause, quickly moving to cut his own.

"What?"

"Just _do_ it." She toes off her boots and watches as he slices his own laces and carefully but quickly does the same thing. Harley is mystified by his behavior. Even when he climbs up her body and clamps his arm around her tight enough to hurt she just blinks at him, trying to figure out what is going on in his mind. Her quiet puzzlement works to his favor, as he pulls out his gun and aims it, using the recoil to shoot them up into a hidden spot in the ductwork. Holstering his gun, he clamps his hand over her mouth and presses her against his body. She stays rigid but does not struggle.

All he can think of at this moment is how this girl – cunt – woman – bitch – is _his_. His fuck toy. His little sister. His long time lover. _His_. She might loathe him, but no one and nothing takes what he possesses away. No matter whom or what she's fucked in the last five years while he's been on ice, she belongs to him. Always. Theirs might be a love/hate twisted affair, but she's still _his_ and he's not gonna let some 'Goll mutant eat her even for a million UD's.

Below them the monster lumbers into view, roaring to announce its arrival, perhaps thinking, dimly, that the figures it can still see are the targets. Even if not, they smell right. It snags something small and chewy-crunchy out of the air that smells right too. Then it angles itself to walk on the next flat surface; it's magnetic feet carrying it where it wants to go, as it follows the three small forms floating in the air. It's pretty sure that any moment now the one in the back will be in range.

Harley is wide-eyed as she watches the creature's tentacles sprout from its mouth, snag one of her boots from the air and eat it. Although she finds Toombs repulsive and really doesn't want him holding her, she can see why he might be insisting that she stay put. The creature's single-minded pursuit leads it to snagging Carver's lowest man who screams like a prissy girl. It pulls him back, or sideways, rather, and slurps him down with barely a crunch. The other one panics and tries to push himself faster, but the only way he's gonna be moving with any greater speed is if he were bright enough to follow Toombs' example, and he's not. Carver has lost sight of them, but spots one of the boots and gives it a stupid look. He's such a fucking moron.

She squeezes her eyes closed as the second guy is snagged. He at least has the sense to shoot at the stupid giant mutant. But it's too little, too late. She peaks between her lashes as the creature snaps him in half, apparently only interested in the part that had the Shrill-sludge on it. Then it clicks. The creature is after them because they walked in the slime on the floor of the pit. That's why her brother had her take off her shoes. God, how dense can she be? She relaxes in the arms holding her as she realizes what he's done. He's given up a million UD's to save her. It's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for her. She opens her lips and sucks in one of his fingers, working it with her tongue like she's giving head. Almost instinctively he begins to fuck her mouth with it.

Carver shoots at the mutant before it can get him into range and ends up reaching the top passage where they spotted movement. Undeterred, the mutant heads that way too.

After a long moment of silence, Toombs pulls his finger out of her mouth. She lets it get away with a quiet pop. He slides the wet of it in a trail down her throat as he caresses his hand over her. He can feel Harley is relaxed unlike she's been since he thawed. He licks her ear and she twists her head to let him reach more of her. Not questioning it, he takes what is on offer feasting on her neck and throat like a starving man. Marking her pale skin with his teeth. He lets his fingers lightly stroke her smooth flesh and delve into her top seeking the curve of her breasts as he feels her pulse under his hand. He finds and pinches the pebbles of her nipples. His lower arm slides until his hand settles on her stomach just above the 'y' of her legs. Instead of going all stiff and scared on him she arches slightly, pressing back against him. She can feel his hard heat through the layers of clothes almost instantly. That sets him off, and he forgets the mutant, the money, everything. "Mine," he growls, as he begins to dig into her clothes, undoing fastenings so he can reach her skin. The only thing that's gonna be 'eating' her is him.

It sets her off too, wiping away the threats, the aversion, the fear, everything. Totally grateful now for his possessive, obsessive, incestuous streak, Harley twists, locks her legs around his waist, grabs his scruffy face and forces her tongue down his throat. Now this is more like it. Her hands clutch his hair, tugging at him. He lets her dominate for a moment, as he gets her top open and works her breasts with both hands roughly enough to bruise. She lets out a gasp, and he sucks on her tongue, not letting her back away. She translates the reaction to his rough treatment into writhing against the bulge in his pants as she digs her nails into his shoulders sending little shockwaves of pain and pleasure through his body. Fuck yes.

He responds by pushing his tongue into her mouth, fucking her with it. It is not enough. She tugs at his clothes rumpling his attire more than it normally is, getting her hands under his shirt and clawing his skin with her nails. She's the only one that has ever understood what the fuck he likes. His Honey knows his body and how to make him move, how to drive him higher, and how to keep him climbing like no one else. She could keep him on the brink forever, and he loves it. He puts one hand in her hair, pulling hard enough to make her squeak, although it's muffled with his mouth on hers like it is. His other hand gets her pants open, but when she refuses to move so he can slide them off he use his knife to cut the layers with expert precision. All those times of having to remove clothing from the unwilling has an unexpected dividend. He brushes his knuckles over the exposed area catching the little hard nub and squeezing. She bites his lip hard enough to draw blood. Not quite ready then.

He pushes his fingers down, slides the handle of the knife inside her and makes her fly apart with just a few knowing movements. She's so hot and moist. Her teeth are on his throat now, leaving their own mark. He knows she accepts this, no matter what she sprouts off in front of others. He is hers; she is his. Fucking born for each other. The gift of their three parents, a truth he's known since he first set eyes on her all those years ago. The knife goes back into the sheath, and its about time he finally got to plunge his other weapon in the proper, right, location. He might go visiting, but he always comes home to his Honey.

She feels him getting his fly undone so he can take advantage of her more than willing position. She must be out of her mind, wanting him like this. But she does, and she hates him for it. His sucking on her ear brings tears to her eyes. She is so damned to hell. But she wants him, and no one else can fit into the spot he's carved into her soul. She bites harder. Fucking bastard! He's like an iron rod just plucked from the fire and the pain makes him throb growing even harder and hotter; he is loving every bit of abuse that she showers on him. She could flay him alive and he'd enjoy every second of it. His hands are all over her, and even though they are both still half-dressed it only makes her need him more. He's never gentle. She rakes her nails over his lower back and presses them in to the rise of his buttocks. And she wonders if he's ever had anyone make him as hard as she can.

"Fuck me," she whispers.

"I don't know, you've been pushing me away." He needs her to beg.

She groans. It's the only sort of gratitude he recognizes anyhow, so she might as well thank him properly. "Please, just fuck me hard, Toombs." He lifts her face and licks the tears, leaving trails of his blood behind. It's too rote for him, those words. To easy for her say. No. He needs to break her. And he knows just how to do it.

"What am I?"

She snifles and yanks him against her hip, driving his erection against the bone causing explosions of intense pleasure-pain to ripple out over his soul, "Mine." Fresh tears appear in her eyes. He locks gazes with her. "You are _mine_," Harley declares. She is shattered, blood and tears trailing over her cheeks, and flushed with desire, making her the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. And the acceptance and horror of her realization of it, is all he needs to fuck her into the goddamn bulkhead. He might be an asshole sellout, and a mother-fucking bastard, but he's still _hers_, her brother, her lover, and – _oh, God_ – she needs him. He just saved her life and gave up a fortune to do so. Besides, they always wondered what sex would be like in zero-g.

"That's fucking right." He kisses her hard enough to bruise. Even the taste of her tears is sweet to him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They are almost to the escape hatch. And because the gravity is still off they can float up to it. The Doctor points his sonic screwdriver at the thing and pops it open, "Go, Go! It's right behind us and unless you all want to strip down I suggest you hurry!" Strangely enough, River kicks off her boots and pulls off her dress, letting the clothing float behind her. She's still in bike shorts and a tank top, and the jumper that was the Doctor's goes back over her head as she pushes off for the hatch.

"Right," says Johns. "Lets all just get naked?"

"This is no joking matter!" Fry shimmies out of her shoes and pants and chucks her long sleeve top, leaving her in a tunic, which while doesn't cover much, does cover what is important. She gives the men a challenging look and follows River.

The one thing the Doctor will not give up is his coat. Lucky for him, it's slime free, but he can't say the same for his tee, where he's wiped his hand off, or his pants, or his shoes, or his socks. Bummer. But there are no changing facts, so he chucks the clothes and grins like a manic at the rest of them as he goes off. The faster they reach the TARDIS the less of an embarrassment this will be.

Richard pulls off his tank, uses it to wipe off his hands and arms, and tosses it aside. Then he toes off his boots, strips his pants off and follows Thete with as much 'devil-may-care' attitude as possible, his shiv in one hand.

"You all are fucking crazy!" The merc says.

Johns lets Simon remove, carefully, his boots, and then slips out of his very slimy pants. Not much of a loss there, on those, "Yep, nuts-r-us. But you know, he's kept us alive so far, and that crazy girl saved your goddamned ass, so," he shrugs. Behind him Imam, striped to his tunic -- pants, over-robe, and shoe free -- finishes getting Jack and Ali to discard their slimed clothing and shoos the boys to the hatch. "Ready, Father? Doc?" Simon carefully checks his hip pack and nods. The tailored clothes, or lack thereof, leaves him more exposed then something like Imam is wearing, but --. He helps the holy man steer the marshal over to the hatch.

"We cannot stop." Imam says. "Go, Mr. Johns."

"Come on, William," says the Doctor. Both he and Rich reach down for the marshal. The redhead accepts the help up into the gravity-enabled area. Simon comes next with Abu right behind him. Kevin is undecided and is surprised when Carver comes around the corner and sees the clothes. Going to the hatch will give away the direction they went. He won't do that. Instead he slips into the shadows.

Carver looks around, "What the hell is all of this?" He plucks at the dress, and stares at the slime floating on the seam. Carver never was too bright. He sniffs it. "This snot?" Behind him the mutant is gaining. How anyone could ignore the pounding stomping is beyond belief. Kevin closes his eyes and then silently pushes himself to the ceiling. Maybe, just maybe, he can pay that crazy group back for their good turn. If he can get above the mutant and turn off the hydraulic controls then it won't be able to follow them anymore.

Carver is too caught up in trying to figure out what is on the clothing to even be paying attention to the rather persistent fact of the 'Goll mutant getting closer. It's not like it can sneak up on anything. But Carver is still surprised when it roars at him, really much closer than he thought it would be. He turns and fires, the mutant lumbers forward, catching the clothing and devouring it. Kevin, up against the ceiling, forces himself to wait, to not move, because at the moment the creature is after Carver, and he needs it just a little closer. Carver's shooting pushes him down the hall, and the mutant follows. With a prayer, Kevin grips the thing and pulls himself onto its back. Now, what button was off? He can't remember, so he starts pushing at random. It isn't enough to save Carver, but he does eventually shut the thing down. Now he just needs to avoid the front end. Which means he goes back the way he came. Hopefully the Boss won't recognize him.


	19. Part Nineteen Checkmate

**A/N: **_Thank you and Jelly Babies to my reviewers.  
Basia Orci, My Reflection: honestly, that scene with Harley and Toombs was necessary to explain another character by the name of Eva Logan that will pop up seventeen plus five years minus nine months in the future… And yes, they are quite the dysfunctional pair.  
You know, only River could get the Doctor to strip off his clothes in zero-g. He's not thinking about it (and their lack of clothes will turn out to be important, I swear).  
Kevin reappears later at some point; he does make it off the ship.  
I figure with the shocker of the last chapter that you all deserved to see the end of Antonia and Junner in this one. Story's about half way through, I'm guessin'.__  
_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Nineteen

Checkmate

Up, up, up -- he climbs through pristine white halls, ever up. There's no one to stop him. All the fighters are below him. There, there. He sees the door. She's behind this door, in this bay. He can smell her. She thinks she is safe now, so close to her ship. But he smells that the Red Guardian is also here, and she wants revenge of her own. Time is ticking, running, almost out. He can feel it. The universe might unravel if he is too late. And that must not happen.

He has a sacred charge, a sacred duty, tasked to him by Shirah herself, to not let that be reality. Even in his insanity he remembers her voice and her touch and the pain of her compassion. The pulse of her caress burns on his chest, a glowing imprint of her Eternal touch. The maiden of Pain allies her soul, her people, her power, with the Red Guardian. He must not lose.

Carefully he opens the portal and slips inside. The maze that faces him is but a small challenge. Her scent leads him to her. Soon he'll have his revenge and his peace.

Very soon.

Behind him the survivors of this trek leave a wake of bloody footsteps, handprints, smears and drips. A trail of gore to mark the passage of the Tempest. They are caught in his fury, with little mind of their own. But no matter, it is a willing enslavement, unlike the last one.

Red. Like the Guardian they follow.

Red. Like the life in their veins.

Red. Like raging infernos, fires of hell, brimstone.

Red. Like sunsets after an eruption, when the air itself is laden with the particles of fire and has no choice but to bear the opposite color it normally possesses.

Red. Like lava, and rubies, and garnets… the blood of the earth itself.

Red. Like dwarf suns and cool giants, plasma spheres in the void, struggling to cast out heat no matter how feeble.

Red. Like blooming algae over the ocean rift with poison, the stain of water where what would give life brings death instead.

Red. Like blood, the essence of life, the conveyance of the aether, which without every living thing is merely a collection of chemicals.

They are his tools. His instruments. He calls to them like a siren's song. They are _red_ from head to sanguine foot. Silent and deadly they heed his summons.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They are among a labyrinth of boxes and crates. The TARDIS is here somewhere close. It's fairly dark. The first thing that they note is that Kevin is not with them. But there's no chance of going back for him, so they are forced to let it be. Then the Doctor says that they should try to find a way to the ship, because he knows exactly where she is, but not how to get to her.

They decide that Simon, Bill, Abu and the boys will stay put so that Simon can splint the busted ankle. Carolyn and River choose to check one way, and the Doctor and Riddick check another. For the first ten ticks or so everything is quiet. Just about the point that Carolyn is becoming used to her heart not racing in her chest, River leans out to look around a corner and her head jerks back. Fry goes to call out her name but finds that she's got a gloved hand choking off her air. She puts her hands up on the fingers. "My, my. What do we have here." Junner says in her ear. Her heart goes back into overdrive.

She kicks up with her heel but he counters by pinning her foot. Fry is all too aware that she's half-nude here. She glances over at the dark haired young woman who is slowly sitting back up. Blood is trickling out of River's nose. Fry struggles as best she can, managing to back her assailant into a stack of crates that tumbles apart with a loud racket. Carolyn prays that someone heard that. Junner begins squeezing the life out of her in retaliation.

"Let her go." It is Riddick. Thank God!

"Hmm." Junner thinks about it, turning to look at the man. It might be worth it to just kill her.

"It's me you're after. You want a shot at the title?" Riddick punches his fist into his hand. After a moment's consideration the taller man drops the woman. Then he eyes over his opponent's lack of clothing and strips down to the same level, pulling a sword blade from his gun and discarding the weapon. The ex-ranger waits to see exactly how much twisted honor this sick fuck has before he makes one declaration, "No rules."

Junner knows this means that he could have kept the gun. Too late now. He's aware that the blonde scrambles over to the girl that he slammed in the face and is checking her over as he assesses the broad shouldered tanned figure in front of him. "Where's _your_ Doctor?"

The ex-ranger charges in closer, pulling short, just shy of the taller man's reach. "Where's _your_ Mistress?"

"She trusts me to take care of the likes of you," the green bespectacled man said as he jabbed at his target.

Richard smirks, kicks the blade away, and brings his arm up with the shiv positioned like a back talon. His aim is for the throat, "More like she's fleeing this boat and leaving you to pick up the pieces."

Only his fast reflexes save Junner as he dodges to the side and takes a step back. His opponent presses his advantage by moving in closer. The white skinned man has to dance back even farther just to get enough room to use his longer reach. He's reduced to jabs and thrusts, unable to get in a real swing. Then he miscalculates and is tugged almost off his feet when the bronze man grips his sword hand by the wrist. "It will be your pieces I'll be picking up," he says as he lands several very powerful blows with his off hand. The response he gets is laugher and equally powerful punches, delivered with a metal filled hand. He's left with a series of paper-thin shallow cuts, and Junner realizes that he needs to get the man away from him before he's stabbed. He pushes the shorter form back, brings his sword in line and rushes, intending to just run the bastard through.

"Sloppy," Rich says as he bashes the man aside, spinning to keep him in view. He goes defensive, circling and watching for Junner to make his next move. The taller man keeps trying to use his reach, jabbing out with the sword like it's a fencing blade, which it's not. The ex-ranger kicks it aside and they circle again. "Come on, you're so sure of yourself, what are you waiting for?" The second growls and goes for a low thrust and the con meets it with a body slam. Junner grips the hand with the knife by the wrist. "Girls fight better than you," Riddick tells him as he locks his free arm over Junner's sword hand and squeezes.

The tall man bites off a scream, turning it into a grunt as he struggles to maintain the grip on his sword. They spin, tugging as each tries to get free without letting go of the other, endeavoring to get some, any, advantage. The second in command manages to get enough space to use his feet and lands a fair kick. His opponent stumbles back. "Is that so?" He swings his sword and is surprised to find that Riddick knows how to block with his shiv. He's further stunned when he finds himself blocking with the blade of his own weapon. He needs to disarm his target. It should be easy, catch the curve of the knife just so, and – perfect.

Richard feels the twist of his blade that translates into 'let go or break' and he lets go. Calculated risk. The ex-ranger ducks as the shiv goes flying and then snags the sword hand again this time with enough force and energy to twist the hand in such a way that the longer blade falls to the floor. He moves to kick it aside, "Yeah."

Now with the blade out of reach, because it slides away even as Junner ducks to retrieve it, he's forced into unarmed combat. He knees his opponent in the thigh, dodges a fist, and comes up swinging. He's landing as many blows as he's taking. It seems they are evenly matched at this point. Desperate, he claws and kicks, and Riddick flies back into a stack of crates, causing the entire thing to tumble apart, sending supplies, ship parts, tools, and smaller boxes scattering and clanging away. He ignores the open ceiling panel and trailing cables as insignificant, choosing to retrieve his sword. "I think not," he says as he advances.

Richard assesses the entire situation with a glance. He can't reach his blade, but there's a power cable snaking past his right shoulder and running across the floor. He can use that. The white skinned man swings at him. He rolls to the right, quickly grabbing the cable and making a snap and lassoing motion with it. A wave travels down the cable, translating into a loop that nooses itself around Junner's neck. "I don't give a fuckin' whoop what you think," he pulls the cable tight, then tugs it with both hands even tighter. The man is choking, which is good. "Sick bastard." He puts more pressure on the cable. Maybe his head will pop off?

But Junner dimly remembers the sword in his hand. The most sensible thing he can think of doing right at that moment is cutting the cable. But it's only after the lights have fallen that he realizes that perhaps that was a mistake. He's blind. There's a rustling sound. He brings his blade up, and then hears a crunch. The pressure of his glasses shifts on his face. What? There's something pressing against in his eye, and even more. Oh god! It's agony. He screams. It is the last thing he ever does.

The emergency lights come on. Junner's body hits the floor, Riddick's shiv buried in his eye. "I told you that was coming."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Imam and the boys are near William, who is sitting while Simon finishes up splinting his busted ankle when Riddick comes around the corner with Carolyn and River. The blonde is holding a bit of white fabric up to River's nose and the two women are wrapped in a long, white, oversized coat. "What happened?"

"Ambush," Riddick says. He's holding his left arm like he's injured his shoulder and is keeping it still.

"And the Doctor?"

"Trying to find the TARDIS."

"It'll be good to get the fuck outta here," Johns says.

"Found her!" says the Doctor from the corner.

Abu squeezes Ali's shoulders, "It is over. We have survived." The boy nods in total agreement.

Suddenly everything changes when a figure in white steps out into the path behind the Time Lord. There's no time to shout a warning, no time to get him out of the way, just enough time to register who it is behind him, with white disheveled hair, and twitching limbs. Antonia Chillingsworth looks mad now, her perfection twisted. One hand hangs uselessly down, fingers contorted into claws, stained with dried blood from the still open wound on her arm. River's blade must have done a fair bit of damage. The once luscious lips are garish in their fake coloring, now seemingly too big for her thin face. Her once graceful neck now looks too narrow to support her head and she's permanently tilted to one side as she struggles to keep it upright. Its clear that she's old, with a layer of fake youth applied over the top now.

She cackles like a mad woman, as her remaining good arm raises and levels an ancient double barrel weapon at the Doctor's torso. It's like watching something in slow motion as her gnarled fingers squeeze the double trigger. There's a twin percussion of the hammers echoing through the crate filled bay. The Time Lord goes down. Stunned, all Riddick can do is stare as the bit of leather he can see, frozen in place. "Back to hell with you, you bloody stinking savage!" she aims at Riddick next, advancing past the body of the fallen pale hairless man.

Amadak hears the cock of the gun as she primes the chamber for the next shot. He sees her lift and aim the weapon at him. His heart is frozen. Nothing matters. She blocks his view, and he keeps his eyes fixed on the same spot as if he's looking through her. Nothing –

Her fingers squeeze and he forces himself to take a breath, ready for the pain of it, willing to die right here.

A nude muscular form dives on her from the side sending her flying.

Richard blinks. His eyes track the weapon and her hand through the air, followed by the spray of copper that arcs through the purplish light of the bay. He hears it clatter off in the distance. The scene moments before replay in his mind with the gun going off and Thete falling like a vivid flashback. Over and over. The only thing he can think about is the Doctor. "Thete!" he isn't even aware of calling out the name.

Before anyone can clear the distance to the body a flood of naked, blood and gore encrusted, forms pile on Antonia, all intent on ripping her to shreds. Idly, Bill estimates that there's about twenty or so of the mostly male figures there, all covered with drying red from head to foot. It's no wonder that the fresh layer phases them not a whit. He has to force himself to focus on something else.

Imam turns the boys away, although Jack is morbidly interested in the carnage. River stands there with her eyes closed, not crying, not moving… Simon looks rather green, and Carolyn matches him.

For an eternity there's nothing but the sounds of screams and flesh ripping and the gushing of blood… none of them can stand to watch the savage nature of the unarmed assault as the madness finally reaps its reward.

Then silence falls and the figures slowly begin to get a grip on themselves, clambering back to their feet, swaying slightly. They act stunned, and seem to be waiting for some signal, not advancing at all. The Doctor slowly gets to his feet. He swallows, glances over at the bloody naked people, and nods to them. This seems to release them from their daze. The figures eye the group over, looking at the skin showing and decide as a unit that they are on the same side before wandering away in search of more challenging targets. Only the Furyan remains. He's as shredded as their hostess is. She's dead; he's not, yet. He blinks, "Thank Verity," and the light in his eyes fades. At least he has a smile on his face.

The Doctor knelt down and gently closed the Furyan's eyes, ignoring the shredded flesh around him. _I think she knows_. Then he stands and turns back to the others, "Well, are we all in one piece here?" Once again, he finds himself covered with blood. Russet, Red, Blue, Green… always blood. It would be nice for once to be covered with something that hadn't been alive at one point at the end of a situation.

_Grandfather_?

_I am fine, River_. He's short with her, he knows. He doesn't feel like being comforting at the moment.

Richard steps up to him. He can't even describe the sense of relief he feels. He wants to hug the alien gent, but instead looks at the bodies and says, "Lets go."

Slowly the others move toward him. The Doctor looks at them. They still trust him. These wonderful humans still trust him, even with the blood on his hands, even with the glimpse into his soul, even now; they trust him to keep them safe. He manages a slight smile at them and a nod. And with that the survivors follow the Doctor back to the TARDIS.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The platinum blonde and the scruffy reddish-brown haired pair are standing in the observation port of her private room, where they headed to get her some clothes. After five years of being alone, of being free, she's back to the same shit. Only difference is, she's let her birth control go, because she thought she'd never ever let anyone with a dick get close enough to make a difference. How wrong she was. Harley Logan sighed as she chucked the container. No use cryin' over spilt milk now. The damage was likely already done. And if not, she doubted if Toombs would let her see a doctor on account that a relationship like theirs would land them both in the slam.

He glances at her, as she's sorting through her stuff, packing a bag. He's got standard issue crew garb, because that's what she was able to get for him. He's got stuff on Lupus 5 so it's no loss. She sure is chucking a lot of old pills. There's no sign that anyone's been in her bed, at all, recently. That warms his withered heart. Of course he's not dressed, and neither is she. No. there's not another merc left alive on this boat that's not running around in the buff acting like he's gone native. They will dress once they've jacked an undercutter and gotten off this hellhole.

A shuttle flying away from the mothership catches his eye. Toombs turns and watches it until it flashes away into hyper-space. "Riddick. We ain't done boy. Not by a long shot." He grabs his sister's wrist. Harley sighs. Sounds like they are gonna be chasing that one for a long fucking time. "Time to blow this shit hole, Harley-love. You got everything."

"Yes."

They've managed, working together, to keep themselves from getting killed by the insane groups roaming the blood coated halls. Maybe the fact that they were both nude and carrying weapons made a difference. Who knows? She gave up trying to figure this ship out after the 'Golls set their monster loose. They reach the aft upper flight deck and he heads to the best ship of the lot. About five ticks after he's gotten the door open there's a call of, "Hello?"

Harley spins, levels her gun, realizes who it is, and lets out a breath of relief, "Kevin?"

He blinks at her, having never seen her nude before, "Commander?"

"Stop staring at me and get in here, Kevin."

He scrambles aboard. Toombs looks back, "A fuck toy of yours?"

"No, just one of the men under my command, Toombs. I figure we can give him a lift to Lupus 5, yeah?" Her heart is pounding in her chest over his assumption.

The scruffy man scratches, leans in and closes the door, "Touch 'er and I'll feed you your dick, Ok?"

"No problem Boss." Kevin swallows at the look on the man's face. "Not even looking at 'er. She's all yours."

"I think we'll get along fine."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The TARDIS welcomed them back with relief. She wished she had never stopped here. Her Time Lord waved aside her outpouring and concern with a gruff, _Just let me take them home now, Please._

_Of course, Doctor. You are strong enough for the moment, until the fire burns out._

The survivors stumble again into the showers, or their rooms, but for Simon and Bill who end up back in the med lab.

The Doctor just gets them back into the Vortex and wanders into his room, hanging his jacket on its hook and sinking to the floor barely ten steps in. His mind is a swirling mass of insane echoes, struggles to move, murderous thoughts… hundreds of human minds brought into his, slowly being shed, leaving tiny ripples behind. Every action, every silent kill, every single-minded pursuit of destruction – all of it, he knows. And now he needs to lock it away inside a compartment where it won't ever get out. If he can. Or cope with it, if he can't.

Back there, on the_ Kubla Kahn_, he reached deeper into his soul and touched a power that he has no idea how to cope with. All those lives, those minds, blank, had taken his suggestion to wipe the entire ship clean of life, to leave it a ghost ship filled with broken bodies, and carried it out _to the letter_. Eventually the most insane of the lot would kill itself off while the sane ones would snap back to themselves and escape. He felt numb inside, sick. And yet, it had been just, hadn't it? Hadn't he warned her?

Worst still is the heady feeling he got from the ability to reach through the one to the others, like a puppet master. If he locks away the horror of their experiences and deeds then he's left with the exhilaration and nothing to temper it. Then he'd be likely to abuse this power and he can't permit that. He can never ever afford to forget what they chose to do at his bidding. No locking this away.

He swallows, not sure how to cope with the new layer of stains on his soul, or the blood on his hands. He has no tears for them, but he's in agony, like there's a knife in his chest being twisted. He finds himself breathing through his mouth, and it's a struggle, but there's no physical cause. He wants to scream, to rage, and to blot out this pain. He _won_, so why, why does it hurt so? Because it has to. Because he can't afford for it not to.

Rich follows the man, catching the door with his toe and just peeking in at him as he sinks to the floor. He can tell that the Doctor is in distress. It's not shock, it's not grief, but it's torturous all the same. Quietly he steps into the room. A tear squeezes its way under the edge of the goggles and he takes them off, dropping them to the floor, even though the light hurts like having hot pokers in his eyes, but he's crying already so maybe he can bluff it off on the pain. Thete doesn't move. "Want me to go?" He gets a head shake. "So I can stay?" There's a shrug from the pale man on the floor. The lights in the room are slowly fading or shifting in spectrum as the TARDIS adjusts it to his eyes.

The ex-ranger deliberately settles in close behind the other man and carefully puts his hands on the smooth shoulders. The skin is cool, like it should be. It's not a health issue this time but a personal crisis of some sort. Amadak's never been good with comforting others; he's never known what to say, or what to do. But this time, there are no questions to ask. No prompts are important here. There's only Thete and his pain. Such intense pain. Letting go of his restraint, the bronze complexioned man slid his arms around the Time Lord and held him tight, skin to skin, back to chest, not questioning the tears that he shed, silently, easily, until they both could release guilt and face a new day.


	20. Part Twenty Regroup

**A/N: **_How did the Doctor avoid Antoina's bullets? I'll explain from his point of view.  
Thank you and Jelly Babies to my reviewers: OtherMeWriter, Basia Orci.  
PS: The last bit of this chapter does not belong to me but is part of Firefly, and the teaser for the original Pilot episode of the series "Serenity" I include it here as a lead in to the next half of this story.__  
_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; Simon and River Tam, Pre-"Serenity" Firefly episode 1 and the survivors from Pitch Black: Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty

Regroup

He was in a large crate filled room, and the lights were a dim purplish-red. Not quite mauve, but close enough to make him feel jittery. He's got the impression that he's alone, but not alone, and it's too quiet, like his ears are muffled. He needs to get back to the others for some reason, desperate to see them again, even if he's not quite sure who they are or where he is.

He comes around a corner, feeling just a bit brighter about something, "I've found her," he thinks perhaps this is it, that he's found someone he's been looking for, but he is not sure. He sees Susan, and Sarah Jane, and Romana, and Turlough, and Jamie, and Harry, and Ian, -- but wait, this is not right. These people didn't know each other. Then Amadak steps into view. That is right. The others resolve into River, Carolyn, William, Simon, Abu, Ali, and Jack.

There's a noise, now. Some building wheezing sound. Becoming larger, filling the space. He is frozen, why can't he move? He needs to move, to turn, to face her, because he knows who it is, and he needs to rip the fake green eyes out of her fake face. But he can't because his body is not quite his own. He's been sharing it with someone, the price he pays for the touch of hundreds to fill that empty rending space in his mind.

_Fire for Honey, Set me Free, Red Guardian I do Your Will, For Peace you Bring me…_

It's odd, he can see the words, taste them, and there's the impression of human blood on his tongue, the burn of iron.

_All fall down._

It's like an order, a compulsion. His body must do it. There's a bang-bang, too loud, too close. He's already half to the floor, when the projectiles whiz past his ears. He has no power to stop his body from crumpling. He feels the floor against his chest, hard and metal. He hears the screams from an impossible distance. He's so relaxed. But he's not at peace.

His companions think he's dead.

Maybe he is.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

He snaps awake. Hearts thudding in his chest as the wave of disorientation crests and fades. He's on the TARDIS. In his room. In the Vortex. Safe.

It was a dream. But it was real. Such a twisted bit of reality. There's a dull ache in his head, faint, like he's been sobbing, but his eyes are dry. He's on the floor, in the dark, but he's warm, comfortable. He doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve the press of the warm body behind him, or the arms holding him tight, but he can't go on without them. He closes his eyes and relaxes again. Lips brush across his shoulder. "I know you're awake, Thete. Do you want me to go?"

The Doctor swallows and reaches for those large, rough, bronze hands. No, no, he does not want this man to leave him. But he doesn't trust his voice at the moment. He can feel the stubble against his back as Amadak rests his head against him. He thinks that perhaps the other man needs to stay too. He curls his hands over the others, entwining their fingers, pale and bronze. Something about that – he looks at their hands, their fingers resting together. He feels the rise of the blood to his cheeks and pool in his groin, the strong near panic of a moment ago twisting into something else that he refuses to label. He doesn't deserve this, this second chance. But the 'Verse has given him a crap deal, so he'll take what happiness he can find, steal, horde, or swindle. And maybe this time, they will stay together.

Richard was almost afraid that the Doctor would push him away, when he started and his pulse jacked. Odd that he knew there had been a change in that fluttering tempo, but he doesn't dare question it. And then he felt the pale man slowly relax. He knew, after analyzing the shooting attempt about a hundred times, frame by frame in his mind, that something had tipped the Time Lord off and he had moved down before the shots were fired. But for some reason when it happened, his mind had refused to see it in the correct order.

He kissed the pale, baby smooth shoulder, relief flooding him again over the fact that the man was alive. He was a fucking basket case, the emotions just flying through him from one extreme to another. Their hands are linked, cool and warm. He probably should move away before his natural reaction becomes too much. "Don't," it's a whisper, spoken out loud, the first he's heard from the Doctor's lips since they came back into his ship. Rich wonders if any of the others have noticed their host's silence. Now, what is he not supposed to do?

The pale form in front of him settled back even more, no longer hunching over, as he had been for the last few hours. The ex-ranger didn't breathe for a moment as the cool flesh settled buttocks to groin. Even with two layers of thin cloth between them the contrast in temperature is enough to make him bite back a hiss. He wants – right now. Thete raised a teasing eyebrow and turned his head. "No banana," Rich said, his own pulse starting to pick up.

"No. Not a banana." Thete's face is far more serious than it was the last time they had this semi-conversation. "I'm – I know what you asked for, Amadak, for your help."

"We don't need to rush this, Thete," he raises one of their entwined hands to stop the next flow of words from the Time Lord's mouth. "This is how I feel. I'm not gonna deny it. But there's no hurry. Kissing you was just _right_, on a level I can't explain. And yes, I want more. I wanted more at the time, had we been alone I would have gone farther, without a second thought."

_Then shut up and kiss me_.

_You're hurtin' Thete, but sex is not what you need_.

_But you are. I need you_.

"I'm right here. Not goin' anywhere." And then they were twisting, arms moving in an impossible dance of hands that refused to lose touch with each other. He knows he could take advantage of this and Thete wouldn't blame him. But he wants their first time to be special, and right now it would just be fixin' up a tear in Thete's soul. Other ways he can help mend that. Because _he_ needs their first time to be extraordinary, and so he'll wait to go any farther than kissing, holding, or touching.

This time it's the Doctor who kisses first. Rich pulls him closer, almost able to taste the pain through his old dried tears. He lets himself fall into the Time Lord's mind, opening his own at the same time. Thete gasps in surprise and Rich takes advantage to dominate the physical happenings because that the only way to keep himself from being swept away. He can feel the boiling liquid brush of the Doctor's mind against his own as the crystalline walls slide away. _Is this more what you need, Thete? _The bond jerks into existence with a vengeance. He feels the old ache sooth away, finally, fuckin' finally… God it's feels so good to have that pain gone.

_I think you have your ideas of intimacy backwards, Amadak. _He is aware that moisture is leaking from his eyes over the sheer ecstasy of touching this mental landscape again. The ties between them reweave like a steel cable, delving deep into his psyche. If anything his need for physical release grows. The heat of the bronze skinned man's tongue against his own makes him want more, and his body recalls, even if it was the last one that actually knew. Even if Amadak doesn't remember.

_No. You've always been here, inside me, part of me. I just didn't realize it. _

There's nothing he can say to that. Nothing he wants to. The only way he can get closer than this is a step he won't take until he knows it's what Amadak wants. Until he discovers what tore them apart he won't broach that again. And so they reach a point of tension, mental and physical, that can only have full discharge once they move past their individual fears. They can ease it off but they can't eliminate it. Like moths to each other's flame, suns revolving around each other, caught and held by the force of their need yet kept separate. He feels the last threads of the bond latch into place.

But Richard has a lifetime of built up tension, of need, in his mind that had no outlet, and now, the explosion of it into the Doctor's soul is like a supernova. Flashing lightening through the clouds of his storm, so strong that it rips away all feeling of the physical. In the aftershocks of it, he's dimly aware that he still wants more, and all he can do is hope that Amadak wants that too. Then he slides into blackness along the plane of their bond, stretched tight and taunt, with Rich still entwined around and through him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Abu al'Walid never thought he would look upon a blue box with such – reverence. But he did. He was so glad to see the Doctor's strange bigger-on-the-inside living ship that once he was in the showers he found himself actually placing his lips on the wall and thanking it for being real. It went against every religious principle he had, but he did it a second time for good measure all the same. He was sure that God would understand.

He was very glad that Ali and Jack had chosen to stumble to their rooms and fall into bed.

Emotional episode out of the way, he stepped across the hall into the wardrobe room and found some clothing that suited him. He thanked the TARDIS with a pat on the doorframe as he exited and headed to the kitchen. He needed coffee.

Inside the bright and cheerful room, he found Carolyn, dressed in a gown for bed, wrapped in a thick fluffy robe with matching puffs on her feet that he realized were slippers, nursing a mug. "Coffee's fresh."

"Thank you." He pours himself a mug, notices that it is very rich coffee and that it breaks his Hajj to drink it. After a moment he drinks it anyhow. If he had some of Paris's liquor he'd drink that too. It's really great coffee. He'll do some extra penance later. "I don't think I've ever even imagined you in that particular shade of bright green before."

"Cheerful, isn't it? Like a spring day, almost. I let the TARDIS pick it."

He moves to the table and nods. "Have you heard about William's ankle?"

She swallows her mouthful of coffee, shakes her head and offers him the plate of biscuits that are sitting on the table, "They headed right into the sick bay though. I imagine he'll either be up and walking tomorrow or in a cast."

"How about, walking now?" Johns said from the door. "Nah, don't get up. I'm limping a bit because it's stiff but I should be right as rain by morning." He's dressed in a tan tee and a pair of brown heather fleece pants. His feet are in loafers. "I don't know about you, but I want a beer. And I bet the Doc doesn't keep any sort of light ale on tap."

River moves past him, "If you ask Verity, she might surprise you. Coca, please," she open a cupboard and removes a very ample mug that is steaming from it. The froth on top is slightly orange, but the smell is definitely coca. The dark headed girl, in her full skirt and navy jumper (the same one she'd gotten from the Doctor back on the _Kubla Kahn_) settles into a chair and pulls her bare feet up with a grace that reminds everyone of a dancer. She slips from her mug like it's the most normal thing anyone could do.

Bill blinks at her. Fry snickers, puts down her coffee, and moves to the counter. Giving the redhead a teasing expression she says, "A light red ale, please." Now Carolyn isn't sure that this will work, but she figures what the hell. She imagines her favorite beer from her flight school days and then opens the door. There's a tall frosty glass inside filled with a ruddy brownish bubbly liquid. The topping foam has a slightly peachy color, and the overall shade of the ale is off just slightly, but it smells exactly like she remembers. "Here you go, Bill," she says as she places it on the table.

"I think I love this ship." The redhead slides into a seat and picks up the glass, carefully sipping the brew. "Um, wow. This is good. I never had this before."

"There was a little pub on Scorpio Prime that sold it. I used to go there on break from pilot school."

They sink into silence for a while, just enjoying the safety. Simon comes in looking like he's haunted. Freshly showered and dressed in casual clothes, but unable to lay the experience to rest. He walks to the cupboard and says, "Tea, herbal, not picky, just not bitter. Thank you Verity." He removes a standard teacup with orange steaming liquid in it. He sips and yawns, leaning against the counter.

"So what's with 'verity' anyhow?" Johns asks.

"It's her name." River looks at William, "Why ask such pointless questions when you really want to know if the Doctor and Richard are involved in intimacy?"

Billy flushes, "Because I've been reminded several times to not stick my dick where it don't belong. I might be thick, but I'm not stupid." After a beat he adds, "Are they?"

Carolyn lets out a little laugh, "_Bill_."

"What? Hey, she brought it up. Aren't you all wondering?"

Abu clears his throat; "I, for one, am not. What they do, or don't do, is their business."

"That's noble. Really. But for me to sprout that would be bullshit, and you'd all know it."

River studies the dregs of her mug like universal secrets exist there for a moment, "They are, but not like you think. Our survival cost the storm, cut him in ways that only the deepest of empathy will heal. Not everything that happened was the product of chance."

Simon furrows his brow. His mind tries to piece together all the bits of the past nightmare that might be clues and he comes up with the impression that he is missing too much of the evidence to make sense of it.

"Where did the nude fighters come from, that's what I want to know," Fry says.

River answers, "The Conservatory."

"Is that where the Doctor and Richard were taken when they parted from us?" Imam inquires.

Bill nods. "Yep, and remember how the white haired bitch talked about having Rich and the Doc 'mounted' after the fight in the pit?"

Simon pales, "Surely you're not thinking --"

"The insane cunt had all those people in cryo. On display. That's what I'm thinking." Bill says has he points at the dark haired man. "And I'm betting that somehow the Doctor pulled another trick like he did with Junner and set them free. Why else could we have made that run with only one group of five mercs behind us? Not to mention the fact that the bitch showed up alone. All her manpower had to be tied up trying to contain the resulting chaos."

The cup falls from Simon's hand and River moves from her chair and to the floor fast enough to catch it. The elder Tam looks down at her, blinking. "He is right." She offers him the empty cup back. He takes it because it's the polite thing to do.

"How?" Simon, Carolyn, and Bill ask at the same time.

"Verity told me. I asked her. She has been very troubled." River moves back to her chair totally ignoring the fact that they are asking how she knew to catch Simon's cup when she'd been so focused on her own.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Eleven years this war's been fought. Eleven years of matching one with another, making due, keepin' up, living to fight another day. Eleven years today, he signed up, by universal time. Not that anyone marks the passage but him, with the hell going on around him at the moment. It's just another day in the life of a browncoat that is making the purplebelly behemoth choke on its words. The screams and explosions and ratt-tatt-tatt of gunfire all fade in the background of the huge blast that just misses him. He leaps, lightly lands and keeps running. Another blast goes off and his trained instinct makes him hit the dirt. After a pause, Malcolm Reynolds, Sergeant in the Independent forces, regains his feet and runs into the foxhole where the rest of his people are.

Greene Baker, on the radio hails him first, "Sergeant, Command says air support is holding till they can assess our status."

Mal spares him a glance, "Our status is that we need some gorram air support. Now get back on line and tell 'em to get in here."

His right hand, Corporal Zoë Alleyne, gives him the status report that he already knows, but coming from her it sounds much worse than he expected it to, "That skiff is shredding us, sir."

Behind him, Greene calls, "They won't move without a lieutenant's authorization code, sir."

_Oh, of all the –_ He steps away from Zoë and looks around, spotting the closest Lieutenant. The man is very dead. He won't be needing the rank anymore. Mal rips the badge off and hands it to the radio operator, "Here, here's your code. You're Lieutenant Baker. Congratulations on your promotion. Now get me some air support!" Then he turns back to business and finds his second waiting calmly as only she can, "Pull back, just enough to wedge 'em in here. Get your squad to high ground, start picking 'em off."

She doesn't quite balk at the order, just points out the obvious flaw in the plan, "High ground is death with that skiff in the air."

At this Mal gives her a crazy grin, and she knows he's got a plan that might just save their asses if it doesn't get them killed, "That's our problem. Thanks for volunteering." He looks back at another man, "Bendis, give us some cover fire. We're going duck hunting." A blast, mighty close, causes the earth to shiver and roll. They are getting closer. He looks around. Is it him, or do these boys look like – boys? He's getting younger troops all the time. He knows they ain't green, but they ain't all his from the get go either. He's scraped them together from this unit and that unit, lucky ones from here and there. And at the moment they all look pretty shocked. Just one more hour, "Just focus!" He scans them again, "The Alliance said they were gonna waltz through Serenity Valley and we choked 'em with those words. We've done the impossible and that makes us mighty. Just a little while longer, our angels are gonna be soaring overhead raining fire on those arrogant cod, so you hold!" He grips one of them on the shoulder, "You hold! Go!" His men scramble to provide cover fire as the two leaders prepare to pull another miracle out of their hats.

Leaning in close Zoë says, "Really think we can bring her down, sir?"

He replies with an eye roll, "Do you even need to ask?" Then he kisses the cross he always wears, "Ready?"

"Always." She watches Mal go, readies to follow, and notices that the solider being counted on the most has frozen again, "Bendis? Bendis!" He looks like he gonna shit his pants, and she knows he's got more experience than that. But there's no time for this. "Rut it." She's just gonna have to do it herself. So she does, no time for second thoughts, just lay down the cover fire, and keep Mal in sight, and then follow like she's got all the protection in the world, bluffing it every step of the way. Then again, boulders are good too, she thinks as she ducks behind some.

Down below her, Mal lets a spray off into the bushes, and the purplebelly there moves out of the cover to return fire. It's an Independent gun, after all, and Mal wants it back. And you don't grow up on Shadow without becoming a crack shot. It only take one bullet to end a life. Funny that the Alliance only put one guard on this gun. Rather overconfident of them. He quickly pulls it back online and takes aim on the skiff. One deep breath later and he scores a direct hit. "Yeah!" he bounces back to watch 'er fall. Oh, but wait… it's coming right at him! _Ohhh shit! _ He spins on his heel and books it back up hill. "Zoë!" She glances, sees, runs… Mal reaches her and they both hit the ground, flat. The skiff hits, tumbles, and plows past them finally exploding. Mal laughs.

All she can do is shake her head at him. Crazy man. But it worked. And they lived. So she gamely follows him back to the foxhole. "Nice cover fire," she snaps at Bendis.

Mal is flying high, "Did you see that? Greene, what's our status on..." but there's no point in finishing, as the boy looks rather splattered, "Zoë." She looks from one focus to Mal then to where he's pointing. Damn. Lieutenants never last long on the battlefield. She moves to check on him, knowing already that he's dead and maybe the radio is too. From one extreme to the other. He kneels next to Bendis. "Hey, listen to me. Bendis, look at me! Listen, we're holding this valley no matter what."

The kid looks at him and _when did Bendis become a kid_? Mal thinks. "We're gonna die," Bendis says. It's a half sob, those words.

He shakes his head, having just brought down a gorram skiff by himself, he can't believe that anyone would lose hope, "We're not gonna die. We can't die, Bendis. You know why?" He waits for the reaction and doesn't get one. Well, onto the punch line, "Because we are so very pretty. We are just too pretty for God to let us die. Huh? Look at that chiseled jaw. Huh? C'mon." The roar overhead makes him glance over at Zoe who is on the wire, "If you won't listen to me, listen to that. Those are our angels coming to blow the Alliance to the hot place." He puts a hand on Bendis' shoulder and calls over to his second, "Zoe, tell the 82nd --"

"They're not coming." She's got a look like she's been slapped, "Command says it's too hot. They're pulling out. We're to lay down arms."

Mal understands her expression now. He feels the same way. He looks at Bendis. "But what's --" Maybe it's morbid, but he has to see for himself… They are being left behind. God has fled. Beside him Bendis falls to an enemy bullet but Mal's too in shock to notice. Eleven years this war's been fought…


	21. Part TwentyOne Parley

**A/N:**_OtherMeWriter, thank you for the feedback and reviews. Jelly Babies?  
Yep, that's what it is all about… I think. I figured Johns not the genius here but he's been tracking Riddick successfully so likely he's the one that is going to make those leaps of logic and come out being right.  
The bit about the food and the cabinet goes back to the very first episodes of the show, where it is shown that the ship can make any food or drink that a person desires, if they don't mind it being in cubes, pills, wafers, or orange. Apparently Gallifreyans find orange and cubes to be appealing in their foodstuffs. Ian on the other hand didn't really. I guess roast in cubes and orange beer just wasn't his thing. I figure she's had a bit of an upgrade on that, working with telepathic desires instead of buttons, and trying to get the colors more what folks expect. After a thousand years or so it's still not quite perfect. Of course the Doctor does have a working set of ecosystems and a fairly large store of 'real' supplies too.  
PS: Sections with Mal and Zoe are based on "Out Of Gas" flashback scenes, from the show Firefly. _

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, Pre-"Rose"; The cast of Firefly; and Carolyn Fry, William J. Johns, Imam Abu al'Walid, 'Jack B. Badd', Ali Abdullah, and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty-One

Parley

Jack dreamt that night of a dark haired woman with a sweet face whose eyes were golden. She glowed. She seemed sad. He remembered in the morning that she urged him to think carefully about what he wanted and what he needed and to make his choice wisely. But Jack already knew what he wanted and what he needed and no matter what the cost he had already decided. As much as he hated to do it, he'd have to leave someone behind. Living a lie wasn't for him. He just hoped everyone understood.

He bathed and dressed, before heading to the kitchen to see who was making breakfast that morning. Not to say that he's surprised by the fact that the lights are almost out in the kitchen would be an understatement, but he's pretty fast on his feet, as such things go, so when he peeks in and notices that he figures that Rich is in there. And by past experience he knows that where Rich is then likely the Doctor is too. With the way they've been buzzin' and blushin' lately he'd better give 'em a warning. He clears his throat, "You decent in here?" He swears that they jump apart, even if they don't really.

"Come on in Jack," says that deep voice that he associates with safety. He notes the lights adjust a bit so he can find his way around. The Doctor _is _in there too, leaning against the counter with a mug in his hand, while the darker skinned man is cooking what smells like sausage gravy. Jack smiles at the pale man, with his large ears and his normally manic grin. He looks worn, this morning, but he reaches for the child's hand and Jack happily clears the distance.

"So, we're back in space?" he asks. The Doctor squeezes his hand and then pulls him into a one armed hug. He's buzzing enough to sound like there's a hive of bees in the place.

It's Riddick that answers; "Yep, or something close, anyhow. You want some of this Jack?" The green-eyed boy is not surprised that the other man is doing all the vocal talking but he is curious as to why.

"If there's enough, sure. It's early still isn't it?"

The bronze man settles three plates on the table and then pulls pitchers of milk and juice, "Yes. But that's ok," he says. Then he tugs the Time Lord over to the table, "Please eat something?" Jack watches as the pale man sits and then joins the pair at the table. The food smells good to him, after days of rations. He tries to not watch to see if the Doctor does eat. Weird that Rich is sorta hovering, but not. "So, Jack, when we get to Helion, what do you want to do? Will you go with Ali to school?"

"Weren't we gonna talk about that?" He glances from the blue eyes to the silver ones, "You two are buzzin' constantly now, but on a different pitch than before." The two men give him identical expressions that he can't quite read. "What?"

Rich licks his lips, "Just – ok, that's strange." After a moment more he adds, "What would you call this 'different pitch'?"

Jack chews, thoughtfully thinking this through. He's never heard anyone with a pitch quite like that. But he knows how it feels, and it reminds him of Shazza and Zeke. His cheeks redden. No. He can't say that. He glances up to find them both looking at him. "Um – I don't know. I mean, I can guess…"

Then the Doctor surprises him by saying softly, "Would you like to be part of it? Part of my family, Jack?" His voice sounds raw, like he's been screaming or sobbing or has somehow stressed his vocal cords. Although Jack notes this and is concerned about it, he's stunned by the offer. Not just 'stay here' sort of thing but something deeper. He's been looking for that. With Shazza and Zeke he almost had it. With Abu he never would, because the holy man could never understand his life. But he bets Riddick could. And the Doctor is including the bronze man, Jack knows. The honey-haired boy blinks. Yes. More than anything. He slowly nods. "Even if it means you can never go back to your old life, because you _will_ outlive everyone you know."

"But I'll get to stay with you, right? Stay here?"

"Yes, for as long as you want." And then something happens, like the universe exploding and reforming, and he can see so much more than he could before. It's beautiful, and fantastic, an' gold and amber and green… Layers on layers of information flow in and out and he connected to it, but not really, not yet anyhow. And Jack knows that this is what the Doctor means, exactly how much of a change it would be. But it is ok; he accepts this, if they will have him. But he's so flawed, so screwed up… What if the Doctor looks inside his soul and finds him rotten? Jack isn't sure when he moves, but he becomes aware of holding the Doctor around the waist for dear life, scared that the man will find him broken and unworthy and dirty. He'd do _anything_ to stay here. He'd even do those things he hates. He lets out a little squeak when the Doctor catches his chin and pulls his face up, "I will _never_ ask you for anything like what _he_ made you do. Your body is your own, Jack. You must understand that staying with me will change you, and you must make that choice. But I will never, never force you into any of those situations that he made you believe you had to endure. And I," he looks over at the ex-ranger, "-- _We_ will kill anyone who touches you in any way that you don't want them to."

And it is then that Jack knows that his past doesn't matter that the Doctor and Riddick want him anyway.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Simon was heading toward the medical area of the TARDIS when he catches the sound of a roughened voice speaking in scientific terms, " – that you possess a natural tapetum lucidum, more developed than most of those of Furyan stock. Which would be my f--" The Tam scion identifies the voice as the Doctor's before he gets the door open all the way.

"_Don't_ say it." Riddick cuts him off.

The dark haired young man comes into the room to see Richard sitting in an examination chair that he hadn't spotted before, but then for all he knew Verity might have just moved it here, with the Doctor peering into one eye. He stops to study the three-dimensional image rotating as a hologram in the screen off to the side. "Why did the surgeon slice the nerves that control the muscles of the iris?"

" 'Cuz he was a bovine medic that didn't know what the fuck he was doin'?"

"Oh, well. I suppose then, that might explain it. Now why didn't you go blind again?"

"Superior regenerative healing," the Time Lord answers. "It restored what it could." He pulls back with the scanner and puts some drops in the eye he'd been studying. Rich blinks rapidly and accepts the tissue he's offered when it is pressed into his hand. He's been given a shot to kill the pain although the lights in the room still render him sightless.

Simon studies the hologram, stopping it to peer at the damaged areas, "You can regrow limbs over the course days, and mend bone in seconds, and I suppose, if it came right down to it, new eyes wouldn't be out of the question, although extreme in solution." He folds his arms across his chest.

"Quite." The Doctor looks at the young man, "Like throwing the baby out with the bath water."

"Humans can't regenerate lost nerve tissue. River has the same problem on a larger scale. You mentioned gene therapy. I assume this would involve the introduction of a viral agent that includes genes from a species that_ can_ regenerate nerve tissue." He looks at their host pointedly, "Because a new brain _is_ out of the question."

"Yes, something like that."

"Why so vague? I understand it is a procedure beyond current medical advances that I'm trained for, and you have admitted that you are not a medical doctor. The level of advancement that your people achieved must be fantastic for this," he gestures around the room, "to be emergency medical care." The Doctor has to keep himself from flinching back. Really, the boy doesn't know, he can't be expected to understand and it's not his fault. But Simon sees the stiffening of his posture, "I don't mean to offend."

"You haven't, Simon." Curious, that swell of pain across his torso that spreads from his solar plexus to his hearts. Rather an intense ache. He forces himself to breathe. "Actually, my TARDIS was an antique, when I acquired her. I look around and see primitive equipment, in comparison to the advances of even my generation. So, it is flattering that you see this as advanced. I suppose there's a whole lot that I take as a given, and I shouldn't."

The raven-haired lad looks at the floor, "Maybe… If you teach me…" He looks up, "We can both learn something."

Thete looks at him. "Well I think, maybe, we could start by undoing the damage to Richard's eyes. And you're a surgeon, so perhaps you could help me figure out how to remove the hydro-luminescent film?"

"I'm not sure we can. I was thinking that it might be more effective to correct the nerve damage first. But I suppose that to restore color vision the artificial film has to go." Richard sighs and lies back in the chair. Sometime today, or tomorrow, something would be done about his eyes…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Now Jabe'd been doing this a lot of years, so when this youngish gent wandered in to the shipyard he took one look and just knew the man was there to buy a ship. And he knew just which ship would fit a respectable merchant type like this one, "Yep. A real beauty, ain't she? Yes, sir. A right smart purchase, this vessel. I tell you what, you buy this ship, treat her proper, she'll be with ya for the rest of your life." This is a nice out-of-system, long range, Aquilan built freighter he's showing the man, could make a thousand ghost runs no sweat. Versatile, light cargo-passenger combo only a few decades old that could go another hundred years easy, priced to move. Only the lad's not paying attention, "Son? Hey, son?" He looks around to see what in this junk heap might have caught the fella's eyes, "You hear a word I been saying?"

"How about _that_ one?" Malcolm Reynolds says his eyes never leaving the silver curves of the boat that has stolen his focus, and perhaps his heart.

Jabe looks, "That ol' firefly? Well… She's got the ability to get her legs back under 'er. Won't get ya far out from under big brother though. Not like this one. You wanna take a look inside?"

Yep, it's taken his heart al' right. The man looks smitten and he hasn't even set foot in 'er yet, "Yeah. Can we?"

Jabe thinks he's sold himself a ship and perhaps the half junker next to it too, for parts. And maybe he can rent a space to the fella, because that ol' firefly gonna take some elbow grease to get running.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

When he showed up at the holdover house for ex-independents being given retraining to fit into the new Alliance mold, Zoë knew he had some crazy idea that just might save their asses, if it didn't get them killed. The grin gave him away. He'd managed to sue over the loss of his ranch on Shadow and somehow convince the system that his role in the war did not justify the loss of his livelihood. And they'd paid him a tight little sum, to shut him up she guessed. It was supposed to buy him a new homestead on a different rim world. But she imagined he'd done something else with the money. Her own claim ended up going to an elder on her mother's side that hadn't played a role in the war over the loss of her father's ship. So she ended up shoveling shit, or sewage, same difference. Really, she had nothing to lose by going with Mal to the shipyard.

Now she wished she'd been here before he made the purchase. Her mother had told her to never let a man buy the ship. They might run the books after, but the big purchase should be done by a woman. Leave it to Mal to prove her mother right. He opened the airlock and a wave of old dust rolled out at her. At least the seals were good. Sunlight flooded into the cargo bay, making their shadows reach into the hold. Mal's bouncing like a little boy, excited to show off a new toy as he urges her into the hull proper. Aside from the footprints from him looking around with the salesman the dust is undisturbed and years thick. "Well?" he asks.

She tries to keep the look on her face neutral as she looks around, "You paid money for this, sir? On purpose?"

He must think she is joking, and she has to admit that sometimes it can be hard to tell, but this time she wasn't really, "What? Come on, seriously, Zoë. Whaddya think?"

Nope, no joke, "Honestly, sir." She looks him in the eye, "I think you got robbed." Unless, of course, he was given this junk heap, and the trash pile next to it, for parts, -- and perhaps even was let the space it sits on for a cent a year…

"Robbed?" He looks slapped, "What?" Puzzled, "No." Defiant, "What do you mean?" Hell, he's got that look in his eyes like he's in love. With this ship. She'll never pry him off the thing.

But he asked… "It's a piece of _fei-wu."_

Mal gives her a startled expression, "_Fei-wu_?" The look morphs to something thoughtful, but not given-up. More like debatin' to win, that face he's wearin', "Okay. She won't be winning any beauty contests anytime soon. But she is solid. Ship like this, be with ya 'til the day you die."

Never one to bite her tongue, Zoë tosses back at him, " 'Cause it's a deathtrap."

"That's not..." Mal values Zoë for many things. Her level head, her calm under pressure, her willingness to put her life on the line by his say-so -- so many things. But her ability to see beyond the current situation is not necessarily one of those valued traits. Inspired she is not, "You are very much lacking in imagination."

And she takes insults well, when passed by friends, "I imagine that's so, sir."

He looks at her. There's a spark in her eye that tells him she's game for his crazy scheme, just like all the others. She's got his back, no matter what. He smiles at her, "C'mon. You ain't even seen most of it. I'll show you the rest." He heads deeper into the ship, "And try to see past what she is, and on to what she can be."

"What's that, sir?"

"Freedom, is what."

Zoë catches his arm and points, "No, I meant what's that?"

He glances at the pile of _something_, "Oh. Yeah. Just step around it. I think something must've been living in here." Mal heads up the steps, "I tell ya, Zoë, we find ourselves a mechanic, get her running again. Hire a good pilot. Maybe even a cook. Live like real people. Small crew, them as feel the need to be free. Take jobs as they come -- and we'll never be under the heel of nobody ever again. No matter how long the arm of the Alliance might get, we'll just get ourselves a little further."

Damn, did he just say – "Get her running again?"

"Yeah."

Oh boy… "So not running now?"

"Not so much. But we got parts."

"Ah," So he did get the scrap heap next to this.

"She'll soar, Zoë. You'll see. I already know what I'm gonna call her. Got a named all picked out..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Settling down on Helion Prime was the most apologetic – and honest – thing she could do. She even got the time right, within a few weeks anyhow. It was in the middle of the night when she materialized. Thete hadn't spoken much to her, not since she'd gotten them off the _Kubla Kahn_. She wasn't even sure about pinging to let him know about the arrival. But it didn't matter. The brown-eyed man with a silver fire in the pits of his eyes wandered into the control room and looked at the console. He stroked her, "Not mad at you, really. He's just hurt, Verity. But he knows you did it to try to save him." This is Amadak, more as she remembers him. She hums at him, washing the broad man in a feeling of comfort and motherly love.

She still needs to find the others that can destroy the parasite. Fire. Someone to channel her essence. And maybe void. She pulls back, feeling an ache that comes from knowing who could have helped had she not been destroyed in the war. Too many tendrils of pain still exist. For now, she needs to take her Time Lord someplace where he can heal, where the humans around him can remind him that family transcends species. But wait… There's a fire child, one that just might work, and not too far away either.

She's eager to go again, if he gives her permission to choose the location. But she must wait for the others to leave.

There are tears in the morning, as the friends part, one boy staying and one going. And hugs too, as pilots separate and brothers-in-arms wish each other the best while each secretly hopes to never see the other again. And, ironically, a man of God steps out of a miracle, not realizing that he's been in the presence of a god for weeks. They have ways to get in contact with each other should the need arise. Funny that her Doctor would think to do that now, with the redheaded marshal of all people. But maybe it's a good thing for him to build a network of contacts he can come back to now that their own kind are gone.

The Doctor is left with his family, River, Simon, Jack and Richard. While the guests, Abu, Ali, Carolyn, and William, walk out into the sunrise and into a new chance at life. River curls her arms around Jack's shoulders and hugs him, "So little brother -- you decided to stay?"

"Didn't you say I would?" The dark haired teen doesn't answer, instead planting a sisterly kiss on the top of his head.

Breathing a sigh of relief like the weight of the world has lifted just a bit, the pale, hairless, tall, almost-last-of-his-species, operator of the TARDIS says, "So where to, now? London maybe? I could sure use a plate of real chips."

"Didn't you mention that you could never land on Earth-That-Was without stumbling into an alien plot to take over the planet?" Simon says as he turns, putting a hand over the Doctor's to stop him from setting the controls.

"Yeah, I did say that. Come on, Simon! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"How about someplace quiet and I whip up fried 'taters?" Rich suggests.

The blue-eyed Time Lord looks at him, catching his eye, -- _And will you add anything to that to make 'quiet' more enticing?_

_Like?_ The bronze skinned ex-ranger would be hard pressed to respond vocally at the moment, as those dark blue eyes, which he can see the color of now, take his breath away.

_Banana?_ Thete thinks to him, and Richard flushes crimson. Jack can't help it; he burst out into giggles. He's got no idea what they are saying to each other but it is awful funny when they make each other blush. And he guesses by the wink he gets from the Time Lord that his reaction might have been the point of it all, in the first place.

Simon looks from one to the other and then to River, "_Gwai-gwai long duh dong!_ What is going on here?" She shrugs and smiles. Whatever it is, where ever they go, it's home.


	22. Part TwentyTwo BriarRose

**A/N: **_Goin' into the next part… A bit of Rose coming up and still heading into Firefly.  
OtherMeWriter, thanks (many bows and cases of Jelly Babies to you). I'm wondering where my other reviews have gone; maybe I scared them off? Anyway. Here's the start of 'Rose' with just a bit extra… How does a Time Lord track an elusive Nestene Consciousness? With help, of course. And when is a Rose more than a Rose? When A TARDIS really wants to meet her… **;-)**  
PS: The scene with Zoe, Mal, and Wash is based on a flashback scene from 'Out of Gas' from the show Firefly.**  
**_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

It's 2517. Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space.

Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and the other survivors from the crash of the _Hunter-Gratzner_ at planet M-344/G-2 now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty-Two

BriarRose

It had taken months to reach this point, months of hard work, sweat and tears and blood, mostly hers. Lots of cleaning and structural work, and ripping up and doing over. Most of the scrap heap next door was gone, now. Either traded in parts for something else, used as is, or sold for a coin as scrap. Zoë actually felt strange to be clean, for once, because they were interviewing pilots and she needed, as second in command of this ship, _Serenity_, to look professional. For Mal's sake if nothing else. The fairly new pilot's chair, matched by sheer luck with a co-pilot's chair in just as good shape, nearly the same style, and almost the same color, was empty. The top candidate for the job was sprawled out on the freshly swept and scrubbed floor half inside the innards of the console.

"Yeah. This is all very do-able," he says in a calm collected drawl. At least Hoban Washburne hopes it sounds calm. Because he's been itching to get onto this ship as a pilot ever since he set eyes on the second in command. It's a lousy reason, he knows, but once the chance is gone it will be gone forever, so he better jump at it while he can. Of course he mustn't let the ship's owner know that. The strawberry blonde slides out, huge monster of a moustache, long hair, loud tropical print shirt that could stop stars from spinning, and all. Zoë suppresses a wince. "Shouldn't be a problem at all. A few modifications, get some real maneuverability out of this boat. You'd be surprised." He might be talking about himself, as far as that goes...

Beside her, Mal asks the man, 'Wash' in tones that sound too casual, like he's hiding the fact that he's begging, "So you'll take the job, then?"

He plops himself into the pilot's chair, and with near glee spins, "Might do, might do. Think I'm startin' to get a feel here." Oh, he does believe this is a very good match.

Zoë watches him stop the chair with his back to them and begin to take a hands-on approach to 'feeling' out the station, touching and playing with everything like a little child in a sweet shop. Mal surprises her by sounding grateful, "Good. Well, take your time. Make yourself to home. Just, uh -- fiddle with the dials, there. We'll be nearby." He taps her and draws her towards the dining area; "He's great, ain't he?"

_Oh, god in heaven…_"I don't like him."

Shocked Mal catches her arm, "What?"

She's always been honest with him, and even though this is a gut feeling she's still going to be, "Something about him bothers me."

"What? What about him bothers you?"

"I'm not sure. It's just... something."

Mal gets that 'debatin' to win' look back on his face and Zoë figures she's overruled no matter, but at least she's had her say and he's been forced to explain his position, "Well, your 'something' comes up against a list of recommendations long as my leg. Tanaka raved about the guy. Renshaw's been trying to get him on his crew for a month. And we need us a pilot."

"I understand, sir. He bothers me."

Now Mal knows she's giving in, going along with him, but he still needs to justify his overrule of her concerns, "Look, we finally got ourselves a genius mechanic. Its about time we hired someone to fly the damn thing."

That mechanic, Bester, marches past, munching on something and nodding, " 'Genius.' No one's ever called me that before. Shiny."

Zoë ignores him as she mostly does, finally giving it up with a shrug, "Just bothers me."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They'd landed in London the night before, after three tries, two very hectic invasion attempts, and one instance of the Doctor dodging himself. The assassination in Dallas, Texas, US of A, happened as it should, even if the creature in the car was not human and Rich had to pull the damn trigger. The eruption of Krakatoa, in Sumatra, was helped along by a chemical cocktail to destroy yet another invasion fleet, thanks to Simon and Jack. And then there was the Titanic, where the Doctor convinced a couple to not board, while dodging his younger self, spotted by River…

Humanity never even guesses how hard their collective guardian angel works to keep them safe, time and time again. Even when he's under the weather, infected with a Skaro-based parasite, and really should be resting.

Undeterred, they still went to London.

No matter how he was begged, pleaded, threatened even, the Doctor insisted that he could, in fact, land them in the fair city at a time when it was, invasion-wise, quiet. He even set the time to land them there when he was already in residence, although on the other side of the country, so that his younger self could take care of any threats… Only Verity caught something in the time stream that made her very excited and, like most times when she was hot on a scent she simply twisted the readings to land them _when_ she wanted instead of the thirty years prior.

Besides, he wasn't supposed to do that, deliberately crossing his own timelines. One near bump was quite enough for the day, thank you.

They'd found a chip shop, one open all night, stuffed themselves on the creation, to the point that the Doctor was good and sick of them, for a few days anyhow, and set back to the TARDIS. The intent was to show them his house, maybe stock up on milk and tea, just take it easy for a while, and then something blipped on a sensor and he froze. _Now, what was that again?_

It took a long pause, with everyone gathered around breathlessly waiting, for the blip to reappear. It did so finally, almost as if it suspected someone was overhearing. He knew that signal. Almost intimately. _Oh, it had better not be_. The blip teased its way into the screen again. _Damn, it was_. Curse the Master for ever showing it the way here! So much for quiet. The debate was, internally, could he do this alone? Could he risk the others? Now they were right here, and they saw that blip, and his reaction to it, and they are not going to believe it is nothing. And the dematerialize button is off line again. _Verity? Why are you fighting me this time?_

"Doctor? Why, once again, am I getting the impression that this is bad?" _Ah Simon, my boy, because it is? _Um. He has to tell them. He can't figure out where the blanket signal is coming from without some footwork, and it will take him days to do this alone. He might not have days. So he explains to them what is going on, and how it is going on, and who it is, and why he expects the creature is here… And of course this is his fault, like so many other instances in the war of empires that he couldn't save. He has a feeling he's got a lot of refugee mop-up to do. And not just for this species. Maybe he can convince it to find another planet.

They agree to help him, again. By Rassilon, he loves this bunch. He breaks out the gear they need, both to keep in contact with him and each other and to follow the signal. They'll need to peg down the source, and he suspects someplace with lots of plastic people, err, dummies, like a mall or shopping strip, someplace tall, and central. Oh, he hates fighting this creature. But he puts the anti-plastic in his pocket and hopes he won't have to use it.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It started like a day, normal as any other. She got up on time, got ready, grabbed a bite, snagged her keys, kissed her mum goodbye, and headed out the door. She notices that the sky is clear and thinks that life is good as she hurries down the stairs. A normal day. She catches the same bus at the same corner, takes the same seat, and waits for the rest of the same people to get on or off at each of the same stops. But why does that dark haired young man in the tailored clothes with his swanky PDA on the bus catch her attention? Maybe it's the sleek earpiece from his cellphone? Weird.

Simon notices the blonde watching him. Her aura is gold, sparkly like she has glitter suspended in it. Really, it is stunning. He's never seen an aura like that before. The blip taunts him and he tries to get a direction while asking Rich what he makes of a 'golden' aura. The ex-ranger tells him to get off here, that he's walked the area and it's someplace close. Maybe the two of them can narrow it down. But he has no idea about the aura; he'll have to get a look at the lady himself. So Simon tells him her position in line as she exits the vehicle and slips into the queue himself.

She shakes her head, and realizes this is her stop. She hurries off the bus. Checking left and right and her watch, -- _oh my god, how did it get so late?_ -- the blonde does not notice the broad-shouldered, very tanned man with a buzz cut and sunglasses who is using a similar PDA and wears the same style earpiece, but he notices her with a raised eyebrow. The bespectacled man in solid black casual clothing and the one in his trendy white shirt and brocade waistcoat exiting from the bus pause and nod to each other, before heading separate ways. Rose Tyler misses this as she rushes to her place of work, Henrik's Department Store.

It's decided that one of these buildings on this block is the source. Since it would look strange for them all to go into every one they split up. River ends up following the blonde into the most likely building, as it is the tallest one. It only takes her five minutes to locate the strong point of the signal. She's in the woman's department of the ready-wear store when she confirms it. Yep, this is the building. She looks up at the row of mannequins behind the woman with the golden aura and knows that _they_ are watching her. Bugger. Now why does this shop-girl remind her of Verity?

It's a fairly busy day, lots of customers, lots of stocking, lots of putting things back where they go. Rather normal. They're having a sale after all. The new summer shirts sure are selling well. She moves to restock the table before the boss makes a fuss. She gets the shirts, grabs the folding board, and heads that way. That's odd. She watches a young woman, maybe her age or a little younger, wearing a gypsy styled skirt, combat boots, and an oversized man's v-neck navy blue jumper pause to fiddle with a PDA then put her finger to her ear. Through her long raven hair, Rose notes the earpiece. Then the young lady is looking right at her with expressive brown eyes.

"Would you have this top in plum, in a large? I don't see any here on the table?" interrupts a customer.

Rose blinks, "Plum? Err… Large? Yeah, I think so. Let me look. Any other colors you might be interested in Ma'am?" When she turns back to glance at the strange dark-headed teen she's gone. Weird.

She meets her boyfriend for lunch at their normal place, at the square, by the fountain, just like every other day. She brings the drinks, he brings the food, and they swap. There's the normal stories, the regular jokes, and the funny dance steps. Mickey Smith makes her laugh. _Now, that is strange_. There's a kid, must be about ten or eleven, wearing cargo pants, hiking boots, and layered shirts. Messy honey-gold hair, and serious green eyes. But what really catches her attention is the PDA he's fiddling with. She furrows her brow as the boy turns like he's trying to catch something, then Mickey's snagging her to say goodbye, -- _Did that kid have an earpiece?_ -- and she kisses and hugs him because it's time to go back to work. She gets caught up in playing with him and misses the fact that the boy meets up with the dark-headed gal she'd seen earlier. She calls to Mickey as they part off their separate directions, "Bye!" It's perfectly normal.

Jack meets River and the others. They circle back to the TARDIS where the Doctor surprised them with a very well thought out plan to blow the building up, after hours. They'll need to sneak around and plant the explosives, which he provides them in a variety of containers and forms, with a series of little sticky tack like dots which he explains will prime it to go when he gives the signal. They quickly go over the plan, each selecting floors of the store to work on and head back out. Why the Doctor has advanced explosives, none of them think to question.

The afternoon rolls past and Rose almost can forget the strange events of the earlier part of the day. Busy with sales, and stocking, and putting things away, she barely notices the passage of time. Suddenly she hears, "This is the final announcement. The store will be closing in five minutes. Thank you." Wow, where did the day go? She hurries to finish restocking the table. Then they close down the rest of the shop, get the last of the customers out the door, and it's time to leave. If she is quick she can catch the bus before it stops for day. She and her co-workers all flood out of the employee area together, a swirl ready to head home. She's nearly out when –

"Hey!" She blinks. The security fellow shakes the bag with cash at her. Right, her turn to take this down.

She snags the bag and heads back into the store. She's gonna miss her bus. Rose waits for the lift, watches the guard lock the doors, gets in and heads to the basement. She better be able to find Wilson. The lift doors open and she steps out. She looks one way, then the other. He should be expecting this to come down, and usually he's right here, unless there's something needing fixing, "Wilson?" Or he's on the phone. She heads toward his office. "Wilson, I've got the lottery money." Odd. Nothing. She reaches his door and finds it locked. Very odd. "Wilson, you there? I can't hang about 'cause they're closing the shop." Now her day is becoming decidedly not normal. Rather it's about to ratchet off the scale of normal to surreal.

And really that's the only way to describe it, as the odd noises start. She hopes it's a prank that can be blamed on Wilson or Derek, but then… when it goes from a few scattered clattering sounds to an army of department store mannequins come to life the word 'prank' just doesn't cut it. And when she gets the definite impression that those dummies are going to kill her, she can't question the cool hand that grips hers at the last possible moment, even if those impossibly dark blue eyes and pale skin startle her almost more than his order, "Run!" No, she finds running to be the most sensible thing in the world to do. Even if his very smooth, hairless hand around her own is impossibly strong but gentle. The crashing sound behind her really makes her think that she'd be quite dead if not for the stranger tugging her along.

And they are running. There's an army, ever growing, of plastic people behind them running too. Then she sees the lady with the long black hair and those emphatic brown eyes up ahead, holding the elevator door open, "Hurry!" The army of mannequins are gaining. More are flooding into the passage behind them with every step, and they seem to become more fluid with every second.

"Everything planted?" The strange man pushes Rose into the lift and the young woman in her oversized navy jumper nods. The doors are closing way too slow. The mannequin closest tries to trigger the motion sensor to keep the door open, and the odd gent puts his finger on the button to force them closed. It almost seems like desperation when the dummie thrusts his arm through the narrow opening and begins to struggle to reach the man's throat. The young woman grabs it and pulls, first with one hand, then with two, and finally she makes a little twist and the joint gives sending the slight lass to the floor. Her overly long sleeves slouch to her elbows as she holds the offending arm away from her body. The doors close.

Surprised, Rose looks at the young woman, "You pulled his arm off." The dark haired lass is holding the limb like it might attack at any moment and doesn't even look up. "She _pulled_ his arm off!" Rose says to the strange man.

"Yep," he says looking as not-surprised as one can. The teen offers the arm to her and without thinking Rose takes it. "Plastic," he informs her as he helps the raven-headed gal off the floor. Then crosses his arms over his chest as the lift rises back up into the store proper. It occurs to Rose that these two might just be father and daughter although she's not sure he's old enough to have a child her age.

She looks at the arm, which is unmoving but contorted in a way that none of the dummies are posed. Rose blinks at it, trying to get her mind around the entire set of events, "Very clever, nice trick. Who are they, then? Students? Is this a student thing or what?"

The odd pale man glances at her, "Why would they be students?"

"I don't know."

The man is focused, seemingly busy with his own PDA at the moment, although she's quite aware that it is unlike any other PDA she's ever set eyes on, "Well you said it. Why students?" He seems genuinely curious.

Now why indeed? Rose has to think about that assumption for a moment, " 'Cause to get that many people dressed up and being silly, they've got to be students."

He turns around, ignoring whatever it was he'd been doing, and flashes her a grin that just -- shines. It lights up the entire lift, washes away her fear, makes her feel like she _knows_ him. Suddenly, he's not so odd. Her heart flutters. He's gorgeous, in a very unique way. "That makes sense. Well done."

If anything the compliment makes her feel flustered, "Thanks." She better not be blushing.

The ebony-headed gal says, "They're not students." The man, who might or might not be her father – _older brother?_ – frowns slightly, like she's giving away secrets he'd rather not be told.

Rose had almost forgotten about her, but she feels like she's known the gal forever as she finds herself voicing her mind in a very relaxed way, "Well whoever they are, when Wilson finds them, he's gonna call the police."

"Who's Wilson?" The man inquires as the lift stops.

"Chief Electrician." Rose supplies.

"Dead," says the wispy young lady as if it is something evident, factual, and certain. The man doesn't contradict her. The lift doors open and the pair moves out into the darkened store in unison with purpose. Rose stands in the lift, stunned and blinking. She has no reason to call them on it, none at all. It seems perfectly clear and reasonable that she'd be still holding the lottery money and the plastic arm because Wilson's dead.

Then the unreality of it all hits her and she becomes pissed. The strange man is pointing a silver cylinder at the elevator controls as she stomps out of the lift. "That's just not funny. That's sick," Rose says as she gets in his face.

The young woman grabs her arm and jerks her back, even as he turns slightly to look at her. Something in his eyes indicates that there's really no time for this, "Hold on. Mind your eyes," the order seems directed to the surprisingly strong gal holding Rose on the opposite side of the lift doors from the controls. He points the funny tool in his hand back at the button, activates it, making it whirl and glow with a blue light on the tip.

"I've had enough of this now," Rose insists as she tries to tug away from the woman holding her. The gal snaps her fingers near Rose's ear causing her to look away just as there's a bang, flash and outpouring of smoke as the lift controls explode. The strange man and woman both turn and set off at a fast pace down the corridor. "Who are you then? Who's that lot down there?" Neither one stops, and after a moment Rose sprints a few steps to catch up. "I said, who are they?!" They keep going and Rose is pressed to meet their pace but manages as they quickly move through the store.

It's the gal that answers, as the man is very focused on the device in his hand, "Plastic, living plastic creatures."

And the man picks up the thought as if it's totally natural; "They're being controlled by a relay device on the roof which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this." He wiggles the PDA at her then frowns and pulls a canister out of his pocket with a manic grin, " Or this – rather." It registers that there's no possible way that canister could fit into his coat pocket, but Rose isn't given the time to react. "So, ..." They reach the double doors leading out, "... I'm gonna head up there and blow it up --" the doors are pushed open and he actually hands her off to another man, one that is large and tan, just slightly shorter than he is but broader through the shoulders "-- and I might well die in the process. But don't worry about me, no." He winks to the gent behind her and Rose looks to see he's wearing sunglasses. "You go home. Go on, go, and have your lovely beans on toast." The doors leading back into the store swing closed with a thud and she finds herself in the company of the other man and the gal.

"Don't tell anyone about this because if you do, you'd get them killed," the deep voice of the other fella rolls over her making her shiver. It should be a sin to have a voice like that, so rich and smooth with just a hint of smoky velvet in it. Like audio sex or dark chocolate, that voice is.

Blinking, Rose looks at the tanned man and the wispy lass and backs up a step, then the door opens again, and the pale odd gent with the smile that could melt an ice burg leans out, "I'm The Doctor, by the way. What's your name?"

"Rose."

He flashes that grin at her, "Nice to meet you, Rose. That's Richard and River there," He motions to them. She looks and the gal, River, waves. Then the Doctor wiggles the PDA at her, "Run for your life!" The door slams shut with a bang. The three look at each other. After a moment Richard glances at his own PDA and motions that it's time to move. River and he take off at a fast clip past her, and considering how odd this day has turned out, Rose doesn't argue. She sets off behind them, only to lose the pair once she reaches the sidewalk.

She doesn't pause to think about it, instead letting her feet carry her to the bus stop. She glances back. Nothing. She slows to a fast walk, finds herself heading to the square, and pauses to press her back to a wall because she needs to catch her breath and her wits. _What the hell is going on? Did she imagine that entire thing?_ But no, she's still got the lottery money and the oddly contorted plastic arm. She glances around; looks back at the top of the shop, as the building is the tallest one around and she can easily still see it. Life goes on, like normal, like nothing happened. She has to get out of here. The panic drives her to cross the street without looking.

A black car pulls shy of hitting her, "Watch it!"

"Oh!" she comes up short make a feeble apology and dashes the rest of the way across the road. She glances back, once again at the shop. It's quiet. Nothing has changed. Calming down, she turns to head home, putting the day behind her.

_KA__**-BOOM!**_ The flash of light and heat is like a wave that can't be missed. She turns to see the aftershocks, additional smaller explosions that look like they are shaking the building apart. She can feel the force of them ripple through the ground and into her feet. Around her everyone else breaks into chaos. She was not imagining that. None of it. She really needs to get out of here. Rose takes off in a run, unknowingly sprinting directly past the strange people that have been dogging her all day and their ship in the form of a blue police call box.


	23. Part TwentyThree Sympathetic

**A/N:**_ OtherMeWriter, lovely review. Where does Rose fit? Well you see, nothing is simple or easy in the Doctor's life. Not even love. So, just hang in there and watch what happens. Nope not Simon… Simon's going to end up with someone else. And Jack B. Badd is not Jack Harkness, I swear (can you imagine our young green-eyed Jack preggers? Oh, have you caught that bit from Torchwood? Yeah ol' Capt Jack has been. Weird, huh? That's the risk of 51st century genes for you.).  
BalrogsBreath, Good point about the dialogue. Actually I am changing it, slightly. Err, even more as time goes on, really. Tossing some lines to other mouths, for one. But things will get rolling and the words will change. Besides… Verity wants them to keep Rose, even if Rich is a bit threatened by her.  
mirth513, sorry about your feeling – sick. Nice to see a review from you, anyhow. Hope you feel better soon.  
Huggabledog,welcome to the second act of my AU 'Verse. Yes I am writing the Doctor as a more powerful individual than he appears in the show, but I have my reasons. I'm glad you like. I have made him needy, because of the parasite, but for a bit here he's going to be slightly stand-offish, as Rose is thrust upon him. _  
_ Hands over Jelly Babies to my reviewers. Thank you all.  
PS: The scene with Mal and Kaylee is based on a flashback scene from "Out of Gas" as seen on the show Firefly.  
_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in the past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty-Three

Sympathetic

After the exploding things episode was over and they regrouped at the TARDIS the Doctor pointed out that they had not located the cause of the problem, only the symptom of it. As if to prove it, the blip, much fainter, popped up on the screen. Really, Rich thinks, they should have tried to find the real problem not just the first wave of the invasion force. But he knows how Thete operates and nipping the alien's plans in the bud probably bought them some time. Now, what do they do about the actual invader? The only course of action is to find the source of the blip.

"The arm?" River suggests.

Oh, well, yes. The Doctor supposes that might do it. Which means that he's given away his advantage, and really he could have tried to keep a head, but they'll need to find the overlooked dummie arm if they are to stop this. So he fiddles with the signal detectors and they head out on foot to try to find the bit of living plastic before it finds them. By morning they've narrowed it down to a project called 'Powell Estate' which means it could be anyplace within a very large block. Jack locates a trace from the dumpster and they converge on the spot. The Doctor's got more sensitive gear. After hearing about the arm trying to kill him the night before no one wants to let him go wondering off by himself. They all follow him as he tracks the path of the arm as it apparently crawled across the lawn, up the stairs and into the buildings proper.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Mal must admit that he's a man of great patience, unless he not. Right now, he's not. He's gonna kill that mechanic when he finds him, "Bester!" He scans the engine room trying to see if the idiot is even aboard, "What's this I hear 'bout yet another delay?" There he is, Mal sees his boots. He too mad to notice the moans. "You were supposed to have that engine fixed and us up and --" He stops short when he notices the man is half undressed and there's a lot of sex going on. Shocked, Mal turns and looks away, "What in the name of suo-yo duh doh shr-dang --" He gives the man a moment to realize and notices that subtle is not working, "Bester." Direct isn't working either. The man is single-minded. Pulling out his 'captain-y' voice Mal tries again, "Bester." No go. Yelling? "Bester!"

The sounds of sex stop and change to head clanging on metal and scuffling. She's listening to the conversation, as Bester scrambles out. While he's not overly happy about the interruption, but not willing to jack off Mal, she's curious and studying the turbine. _Um, really a very clean design, nice lines, good build, but that part there is blown, and really what is it doing there anyhow_? Really it's very tempting to just rip the offending part out and put the engine back together just so she can feel how it runs. She hears the man respond with a, "What?" asked rather innocently as if he wasn't just caught with his pants down. So this ain't his daddy because if it was he'd be getting' his hide tanned.

"You do realize we been parked on this rock a week longer than we planned?" Mal now looks at the tattooed man.

Bester says, "Yeah, but... uh, there's stuff to do." She begins getting dressed, because the new fella sounds like he's at the end of his rope, and really someone is gonna get whipped here. She'd rather it not be her.

"As for example that job we got waitin' for us on Paquin. When we landed here you said you needed a few days to get space worthy again and is there somethin' wrong with your bunk?" Mal just wants to know… before he kicks the man's rear out the airlock the next time they are in space.

Puzzled Bester asks, "What?" But Mal's not in a very explainin' mood so he just stares at the fellow wondering why he thought he was a genius in the first place. Then it clicks and the mechanic laughs. "Oh! No, Captain." He leans forward like; "She _likes_ engines. They make her hot."

Mal keeps himself from twitching, just barely. "Bester. Get your prairie harpy off my boat, and put us back in the air." _Prairie harpy?_ She ain't no – forget the over-the shoulder-bolder-holder, she's getting up and giving him a what-for.

"Okay. But... can't."

"Whaddya mean 'can't.'" Mal says with narrowed eyes.

"No can do, Cap. Secondary grav boot's shot."

_Grav Boot shot? What the hell? No, it's the reg couple. This jack-ass calls himself a mechanic?_ Putting on a smile she, the 'prairie harpy', pipes up with, "No it ain't." before she bounces up from under the engine extremely cheerful like, ignoring Mal totally and looking right at Bester, "Ain't nothing wrong with your grav boot. Grav boot's just fine." Then she sees Mal, "Hello," before she ducks back to retrieve her sweater.

Mal raises and eyebrow at his mechanic and notices that he's looking quite at a loss, "She doesn't... that's not what..." Bester turns to the girl, "No it ain't!"

Now she pauses to look at the grav boot again just to make sure, and it's a clean as a whistle. Looks like it could take another billion miles at least. There's not a thing wrong with it. She pops back up like a cork, "Sure it is. Grav boot ain't your trouble. I seen the trouble plain as day when I was down there on my back before. Your reg couple's bad."

"The... red... what?" Now this is interesting, his mechanic is clueless. Not a good sign.

_Gees! He's not a mechanic_. How did he ever get his hands on an engine like this? She deserves better, this fine ship. She might as well give him a good turn because he's not half bad a lay, "Reg couple. Right here. See?" the young lady points and even Mal can see what she is pointing at, not that he would know how it works or what it does.

To give him credit, Bester does look, "No."

Now she's losing patience with this clown. Really she should just fix it. "This," her hand gives a little shake to get his attention, "I'm pointin' right at it." When Bester still looks clueless she rolls her eyes, sighs, reaches in, and breaks off a part of the engine. She's fixing it.

"Hey!" Bester goes to stop her and Mal just puts his hand out stopping him. He wants to see this.

"Here." The part is placed in the mechanic's hand before the gal turns back and starts tinkering, "Hand me that, will ya?" Mal hands her the requested wrench. "Don't really serve much of a purpose, anyway. Just tends to gum up the works when it gets tacked. So I figure, why even have one? Better to just take your g-line, plug it straight into the port-pin-lock, and that should, uh..." The turbine starts moving, "There." All fixed. _And wow, she sounds right pretty. Wonder how she'd feel in space_?

"What'd you do?" Bester's still mystified.

Mal however is not; "She fixed it."

She looks at the captain, thinking that he does appear to be the captain-y type, "Well, it wasn't _really_ broke." Beside her Mal's soon to be ex-mechanic is looking at the part in his hand.

"Where'd you learn to do that, miss?" Mal asks her.

With a shrug she answers, "Just do it, that's all. My daddy says I got natural talent." Don't think, don't feel… don't hope. Just answer him and let things flow.

"I'll say you do at that." Mal really thinks that he could do fine to have her as his engineer.

Ignored Bester asks, "Don't we need this?" about the part.

Mal focuses on the young woman; "You work for your daddy, do you?"

"Well, when he got work, which ain't been too often lately." Her face falls as she remembers how tight things are back on the homestead.

"You got much experience with a vessel like this?"

"I ain't never even been up in one before." And that's the honest truth, but she knows her engines, all kinds. They ain't so different than one another, and if you can make a hover-mule go you can keep an ship running.

"Wanna?" Mal's going to risk it. He has to be able to do better than Bester.

"You mean...?" the gal is surprised, but really she shouldn't be.

"Sure."

"For how long?"

"Long as you like. Long as you can keep her in the sky." Mal is certain. He doesn't even know her name or anything about her, but she belongs here on his ship.

She blinking, and almost to the point of bouncing off the walls happy, and damn this has turned out really very well. She likes this ship, better than most anything she's ever seen, "You offering me a job?"

Still ignored, Bester is alarmed by the turn of events, "What?"

"Believe I just did."

The young lady goes all smiles; "I just gotta ask my folks!" She doesn't even pause to dress all the way, in her excitement. In her wake she leaves an amused Mal and a stunned Bester, "Don't leave without me!"

"Mal. Whaddya need two mechanics for?"

The captain of _Serenity_ looks at Bester, his very ex-mechanic, "I _really_ don't."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

It's a normal day. _Oh wait, it's not_. Her job got blown up last night. Nothin' normal about this day. She sits among her pink bedding, surrounded by pink knickknacks, lampshades, clothing, and stuff, one hand on the alarm clock, frozen as she remembers those strange people with their strange devices and the plastic store dummies come to life. He mum's voice floats down the hall, "There's no point in getting up, sweetheart. You've got no job to go to." Well ain't that the kicker? She lets herself fall back into the bed. She blinks. A shadow crosses her window and she opens her eyes to catch the motion of a shape across the thin frilly pink curtains that reminds her of the tall, broad, tanned man with the voice like liquid sex and his sleek sunglasses – Richard, she remembers. Rose throws herself back up and flies to the window. There's nothing there. _Ok… that's strange_.

Well, she's up now so she might as well get dressed and face the day. Rose tosses on a pair of old jeans and a comfy top and heads to the kitchen. She's not really in the mood to eat, or move, or anything. Neither she nor her mum notices that the cat flap is ajar or that the nails are sitting loose. Rose plops into her place at the table and sits there, feeling numb. Her mum goes about her normal morning, dressed in her normal dressing gown. "There's Finch's. You could try them. They've always got jobs," she says as she sits at the table with her coffee.

No, anyplace but Finch's. She groans out, "Oh great, the butcher's." Her head settles on the table, but out of the corner of her eye she spots the flash of black sunglasses through the kitchen window. She blinks. That was Richard. Her world grinds to a halt.

Unaware that something is going on, Jackie sits for just a second, and then starts talking again, "Well it might do you good. That shop was giving you airs and graces. And I'm not joking about compensation." In motion again, her mum stands, turns, pauses, "You've had genuine shock and trauma. Arianna got two-thousand quid off the council just 'cause the old man behind the desk said she looked Greek. I know she is Greek, but that's not the point." Then she heads off to get ready for the day, still talking, "It was a valid claim."

She waits until Jackie has cleared the hall and then sneaks into the kitchen so she can look at the window. And there, out on the landing is River and the Doctor, and the trendy nice dressed lad from the bus and the green-eyed boy besides. And when she looks the other way Richard is standing by her front door. _Now, what is going on?_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They come together on a landing, open air, facing the square with its narrow walls and cement patterned tiles. The Doctor's device is pinging that it came this way, the plastic arm, and really there's only on way to go here. Rich sets off to scout, making sure that the thing isn't waiting in ambush someplace behind a planter or something, but the Doctor isn't feeling very much like waiting. So River, Simon, and Jack all follow him, as Rich walks around the corner, while the Time Lord narrows down the apartment where the signal is coming from. They trace it to a door with a little flap cut into it. Rich walks back up, indicating that he didn't find anything. That, of course, is because what they are after has got to be inside this domicile. A female voice floats through the door, "-- down. We're gonna get strays." There's a pause, "No, you thought about it."

Thete drops to his hands and knees and pokes the flap. Something, or someone, pokes it back out at him, lets it flap close, then opens it all the way. It's the girl from the shop, Rose. He blinks, quite surprised to see her again. Suddenly the door opens. Simon helps him up as he asks the bottle blonde, "What are you _doing_ here?"

She looks flabbergasted, and more than a bit irritated, "I live here." She looks at the matched pair of dark headed individuals, about her age, River and – must be her twin – a the young man with eyes as deep a blue as the strange pale gent in front of them. Then she spots the honey-haired boy and the tanned man who is still wearing sunglasses. They are, all five, looking back at her.

"Well what do you do_ that_ for?" the pale man says. He must be the leader, or captain, or something…

"Because I do. And I'm only at home because someone blew up my job."

Behind him River tests something with a clearly altered PDA, "Wrong signal?"

Rose blinks at her, as the Doctor pulls out his funny blue tipped device that she recalls him blowing up elevator controls with the night before, "You're not plastic, are you?" He's testing too, now, still picking up something and somewhat unwilling to let it go. But he raps a knuckle against her forehead as if that is the ultimate test. "Nope, bone. Must be, River."

The lot of them turns to leave. Oh, no. She's not letting them get away until she finds out what on earth is going on. She grabs the youngest boy and tugs him inside while saying, "You. All. Inside. Right now." Richard steps in, clearly unwilling to let anyone he doesn't know do anything to the kid. The bronze man coming inside seems to make the pale one decide to follow, and of course the twins do too. Rose firmly closes the door.

Another female voice comes from down the hall, "Who is it?"

Rose turns to sorta explain to her mum, "It's about last night. They're part of the inquiry. Give us ten minutes." _Please stay in your room_. Meanwhile the dark headed pair move into the living room, ahead of Rose, scanners out.

The other voice comes again, "She deserves compensation!"

Rose bustles into the living room, darting past River and her twin, picking up scattered magazines and trying to tidy up as she goes. Neither of them pays her any mind, carefully scanning every nook and cranny in the room. Behind her Richard rumbles, "Yeah, millions," somewhat sarcastically as the Doctor glances around the place trying to spot the living plastic they are after.

Jack squeaks as Rose's mum reappears in the hall and clears her throat. Upon seeing that there are two very handsome, unknown men in her foyer she blinks flirtatiously and says, "I'm in my dressing gown."

The darker one snags the boy and pushes him into the living room, "Yeah." His voice sends shivers over her spine, but he doesn't stick around. The other fellow has blue eyes to kill for, and currently is staring right at her.

"And there are strange men in my apartment… Anything could happen," she flirts, openly now at the remaining fellow.

"Oh, -- no." says the blue-eyed gent in the leather jacket. He backs up a step, clearly disturbed by her advances.

Rose reappears, "Mum!" She shoos Jackie back into her room and tugs the other man into the living room where the twins are still scanning, "Don't mind the mess. Does anyone want a coffee?" She doesn't really wait, choosing to head into the kitchen. Richard pulls the sofa away from the wall as Simon's scanner beeps. "We should go to the police. Seriously, all of us," Rose says from the kitchen. The plastic arm leaps up at Richard and River catches it. Determined to kill something, it turns on her, becoming rather snake like as it twists around her hands with near crushing force. "I'm not blaming any of you even if it was some sort of joke that just went wrong," the blonde continues. River lets out a pained gasp. The Doctor pulls his sonic screwdriver and tries to turn the receiver off only to have the thing jump from River's arms to his throat slipping right out of her grip. She falls back on the sofa suppressing the anguished scream from the assault down to a hiss while blinking tears and holding her not quite injured hands in the air. "It said on the news they found a body. I'm guessing that was Wilson -- Just saying -- he was nice. He was a nice bloke. You know?"

"Sure, yeah." Richard says, as he and the others try to pry the plastic arm off the Time Lord. It is inhumanly strong, and very single minded. Even when Riddick manages to get the arm snapped off at the wrist they are left with a hand still trying to choke the life out of the Doctor. Simon and Jack both try to pry their fingers under the thing, while Rich flings the bulk of arm away, across the room, and into the hall where it lands on carpet before rolling back against the front door.

"Anyway, if we are gonna go to the police, I want to know what I'm saying. I want you all to explain everything." Rose walks in with a tray of mugs, slightly mismatched, as the hand comes loose. It bounces once, makes a funny twist, and then flies right at her. Forgetting the coffee, Rose throws her hands up as the plastic palm lands on her face. River catches the tray, saving the carpet, although her face contorts from the tender state of her hands. She quickly puts it down on the dining table and shakes them out. Rose lets off a muffled scream as she falls back into the wall; plastic palm firmly attached to her face.

"We need to get it off her, Doc," says the bronze complexioned man.

Down the hall the sound of a hair dryer starts up.

"Your mother doesn't care if you are suffocating to death?" the dark haired young man inquires as he manages to get a finger lifted enough for Rose to breathe. The thumb is trying to claw its way into her mouth. She can't exactly reply to him. But her mum's actions do seem slightly bothersome enough so that she focuses on that over the panic of the plastic hand trying to cut off her air.

"Hang on." There's a whirling sound and the thing becomes weak enough for Richard and Simon to pry it off. It keeps twitching, unable to get a solid grip, although it is trying.

Rose gulps down air as she stares at the thing. "I told Mickey to throw that away!"

"Might be that he did, 'Cuz we traced it here from the gorram garbage," says the honey-haired boy.

The Doctor keeps trying to shut the signal off, "Language, Jack." The boy looks sorry. After a few more moments he jabs the twitching thing in the palm and it goes still. "There, see. Stopped it. Perfectly 'armless."

"D'you think?" Rose says, eyeing the hand over. He flashes her his glowing smile while Simon tries to not groan from his horrible humor. Having gotten what they were after, the group retrieves the bulk of the arm from the foyer. It's not really in their best interests to hang around, and the older blonde's seduction attempts have made both the Doctor and Richard eager to leave. But even as the five head back across the estate grounds to the TARDIS, Rose follows. "Hold on, a minute. You can't just go swanning off."

"Actually, we're not 'swanning off', there's work to be done," says the Doctor. He's got the hand and the dark haired young man whose name she's not been told is carrying the rest of it.

"That hand was moving. It tried to kill me," she says.

"You know, she's pretty sharp," Richard comments. "Not as much as Billy, but still."

"Um, yes. I'd say she scores a ten out of ten on observation," the Doctor says to him.

"You can't just walk away! That's not fair! You've got to tell me what's going on," Rose demands.

River says to her, "No, we don't. But we might, if you just wait."

"_Mei-Mei_," Simon warns.

"Verity says it's important, Simon." River looks as Rose, "Come with us."

Rose blinks, _What?_ She is already in the middle of their group, trying to keep up with the Doctor and get some, any, information about what is going on, and River's mention of Verity, whoever that might be, seems to make them all just accept that she's supposed to be there. Wait, she doesn't even know anything about them, "Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry. I haven't made full introductions, have I?" Says the pale gent, the Doctor. He points at the dark headed young man, "Dr. Simon Tam," then he indicates the boy, "Jack, and you've met Simon's sister, River, and Richard already. Everyone, this is Rose, Rose Tyler, I believe." She gets a chorus of 'hellos'. "And me, I'm the Doctor."

She shakes her head, "Yeah, but, doctor what?"

Jack says, "Just, 'The Doctor', really."

Rose looks at the boy, " 'The Doctor'?"

The pale gent grins again, turning so he's walking backwards, waves and says, "Hello, Rose Tyler." He then wiggles his eyebrows with fair humor, making Rose, Jack, and River laugh.

"But, who are you? I mean, are you the police?"

Richard frowns, "Do we look like police to you?"

Rose shakes her head. Honestly they don't. Not anymore than the shop dummies looked like students anyhow. She tries to put the pieces together, "Last night, River said that you were dealing with living plastic. And that arm apparently crawled back from the trash into my flat, Why?"

"It was looking for the Doctor, and the last person it knew of that had contact with him was you," Simon told her. "Lucky for you, we were already trying to locate it when it decided to attack."

"Why was it looking for the Doctor?" she says. None of them answer her. "So, who else knows about this?"

"Just us," says Jack.

"What, you're on your own?"

"That's the way it's always been," the Doctor says. "You _modern_ humans are tied up in your lives, your everyday concerns, and right under your noses there's a war going on. So easy for you all to forget what happened yesterday, much less thirty years ago."

"Okay. Start from the beginning..." And amazingly enough, they do.


	24. Part TwentyFour Indisputable

**A/N: **_Hands over Jelly Babies to my reviewer, OtherMeWriter. Thanky much. Yeah, Rose is being given a chance of a lifetime here. And she's going to take a hold of it with both hands and then panic about not telling her mum later.  
PS: the Scene with Mal and Inara is based on a flashback scene from 'Out of Gas' as seen in the show Firefly._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty-Four

Indisputable

The Golden Lady told River many things. They often spoke of hopes and dreams, adventures and trials, love and loss, and even the Doctor and what was needed to help him win his battle with the Skaro-derived parasite. She'd led the girl to albums of images showing snapshots of past companions, starting with Susan, Ian, Barbara, and then moving onto all the rest. She'd shown her the tokens of their travels, little things attached to each adventure, ranging from the worthless, like the feather from an alien bird, to the priceless things that were once touched by the emperor of China himself, all because River cared and was willing to look at the past and own those things. And sometimes Verity thought that the fight would be lost and nothing else could survive that aside from the memories.

She's chosen River, because the dark haired teen, like her, needed the Doctor for her very existence. So entwined was she now with the Time Lord, that his passing would rend her sanity into a twisted demented form. So alike she'd become that the void of his mind forever gone from her would shatter her own soul. Of them all, River was the one that could understand Verity's terror over the looming and growing power of the energy leech as it fed on the forces born of her biological and psychic connections with the Doctor.

And then they had come here. Here on Earth, with so many unguarded minds, the raven-headed teen would be driven insane if not for the Time Lord's ability to run interference. River needed his mental touch here more than anyplace they had been to before. Thus they were usually close together, or they returned to each other's side after the shortest of times, and Verity could rely upon River to keep tabs on the Doctor and let her know if he was hiding the evidence that would indicate the return of his symptoms.

Besides that River liked Rose. They were about the same age, with in a few years, close enough that the stray thoughts Rose had about boys, and fashion, and the occasional lack of it, resonated with the side of River that few people realized was there. Besides, Rose was unique, or near enough, being as she was aether, and frankly not too many people qualified that might just be strong enough to step up and assist in the way that she, Verity, required. But Rose… she was. And that was an opportunity that she just had to grab hold of tight and not let go.

Now she just had to ease Amadak's fears. Rose Tyler would not replace him. She could not. A soul a big as her Time Lord's had enough room for dozens, and always before he'd kept himself apart, but now there was no need. No authority would step in to strip those he cared for away from him, as had happened with Jamie and Zoe. No cruel overseer existed to tell him he couldn't reach out and touch those special souls to keep them with him as had happened with Sarah Jane. When a being's family alone was fifteen times three, and his ship could support a city's worth, and he had two very empty hearts… anything could happen. And maybe his kind, not the stuffy Gallifreyans of old but something new, devoted to the Red Guardian, could exist again, reformed into the original intent he had for them, helpers against the forces that he stood alone in opposition of now. Already, with Jack, it had started.

Gallifreyans were, by their very nature, extremely social. Telepathically social, even. From Looming to final Passing, they were never alone. They had large families, Cousins by law, which existed as a constant physical presence, even when parted. Those few elite that became Time Lords took on another layer of togetherness, becoming part of a mass mind of a thousand, slowly climbing in the ranks from bottom to top over the course of their very long lifespans. Even being given TARDIS was a major event, like being married, as the bond was physical and mental, although most Time Lords dominated their connections while she and the Doctor had a more informal and natural bond. Even in the 'after-life' in the matrix, they were social, the essence of each joining millions of others. So for them to be alone… So very alone… was painful beyond anything.

Verity knew that one mind or even a hundred, was a mere fraction of what the Doctor was used to. But six of the right minds, forming a solid network, could go much farther toward healing him, _healing them_, than any old assortment of minds could ever do. And even if her Time Lord didn't want this, she needed it. Without Rose Tyler, her biological and psychic connection to him would continue to feed the foreign parasite until it killed them both. With Rose Tyler, they at least had a chance of containing it for good, and maybe even destroying it.

So, she'd told River. And now River was, in her ever so clever way, slowing hooking Rose Tyler into an seemingly impossible situation. Verity rejoiced.

Now, they just needed to deal with the Nestene Consciousness and it's invasion attempt.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They ended up at an open-all-night grease-bar of a restaurant. It was breakfast time, after all. Rose was mildly surprised to be included in the open order-invitation to get something to eat. To reassure her, she was shown, discreetly by Simon, that they did, in fact, have enough money on them to actually pay for the meal. Suddenly, she was hungry. Maybe it had to do with the story about UNIT and the Nestene invasion attempts thirty-five years prior that the Doctor was telling her, with enough detail that she thought perhaps he'd been there. Or maybe it had to do with the plate of thick, rich very egg-y gypsy (french) toast being delivered over at the next table topped with enough butter to be obscene.

While the Doctor himself ordered tea and a light meal of tinned fruit and cottage cheese, which looked more like something River might eat, each of them chose their heart's desire off the menu and settled in to wait around either their coffee, tea, or hot coca. The Doctor was just finishing up the tale about he and his companions, a different group, mind you, had stopped the Nestene before by telling it that the conditions weren't so perfect after all. He doubted it would be so simple this time as there were vastly different conditions in existence now that made the creatures much more desperate.

"That's quite a story," Rose says, "but I don't get how you stopped it from killing me."

"Well… The Nestene mass-mind, like I mentioned before, projects it's own life force into various plastic objects. It needs a certain polymer arrangement to do that, and while it can use any plastic item, or plastic type, once it syncs itself to a certain wavelength it takes some time for it to adjust if the structure of an item is altered." He pauses to see if she is 'getting' it or if he's being too technical. Rose doesn't seem quite lost, which might be a good sign, "I scrambled some of the molecules inside the hand and cut off the signal. Or rather this piece of plastic's ability to respond to it."

"Is this like radio control?" Rose is still trying to get her mind around the idea. She knows as soon as she's away from this bunch the entire surreal conversation is going to sound completely crazy. But right now it seems so very – reasonable.

There's a pause, and then the pale, smooth skinned man looks at her. "Something like," the Doctor says.

River adds, "Psychic dominion, driven force of will, nearly as old as the 'Verse itself." The blonde looks at the ebony-headed gal, matching brown eyes to brown eyes. She goes very still as the words sink in. Somehow, River gives this so much weight, so much reality – Rose blinks at her. River more than believes, she _knows_ with a sureness born of feeling it, like how even a blind person knows the sun from the heat of it on their skin. The truth of it shocks Rose almost more than the words themselves do.

"Are you all right?" inquires the blue-eyed tall gent, with a light, rather soothing, touch. She swings her eyes to him and notices his grave concern. She nods. This is serious. They aren't joking with her. There's no humor or teasing about it. She wonders why no one remembers the invasion attempts from before, or if it was covered up and the people who had known silenced somehow. A shiver runs through her. She wonders if her mum would remember such a thing.

"Why here? Why now?" Rose finally gets out as the food arrives, "What's it got against us?"

"The conditions are right for it?" Rich says, answering her question with a question, "I mean you got the plastic already made. There's all the pollution and garbage it might ever want, and overpopulation galore. It's too perfect a set-up for something like the Nestene to pass up, ain't it?"

"Exactly. It has nothing against humanity. It loves you. You've got such a good planet; lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air. Perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. Its food stock was destroyed in the War." There's quite a lot of weight in the Doctor's use of the word 'war', Rose notes. She can see that behind his slightly flippant mention that there's vast pain at the thought of it. This war, whatever happened, must not have been one with any winners. "All its protein planets rotted. So. Earth. Dinner."

Jack pipes up; "Ya do believe us, don't you?"

She looks at him and sees – hope – in those green eyes. For some reason her believing them is important. Rose is not sure. Aliens from space, secret international military branches, repeated invasion attempts? Sounds like science fiction. She sighs and tucks into her plate of food; "It's a stretch. You know that, I'm sure. Just, I mean, you all sound like Internet conspiracy freaks. Even though you seem sane enough."

"And isn't that exactly where you'll go for more information, the moment you decide to go your own way?" Rose blinks and looks up at Simon, who is pointedly gazing at her. It's like he's a mind reader or something. "See, you are listening, Rose. And some part of you already knows the truth."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

This is the eighth ship she's looked at, the third with a shuttle for rent. Really, she's beginning to wonder when she will know that she's found the right place. The Firefly class ship is clean, polished even, clearly loved for what she is. And Inara thinks that maybe, just maybe this is the place for her, as she follows the captain across the catwalk. Malcolm Reynolds opens the door and steps to the side, acting like a gentleman. "Well, here she is." Taking a deep breath she steps over the threshold into the space. Everything clicks into place. "Nice, ain't she?"

Trying to find some fault with the calculations that led her here, or the shuttle itself, or even the people on the _Serenity_, Inara says, "Smallish." It's not really; there's much possibility in it. And she needs to be here, on this ship, because this is where everything intersects. The past, the future… the fate of the 'Verse itself. She knows this. It's a calculated certainty. She wonders if the captain knows how important he really is.

"Not overly. How much room do you really need for what you do, anyway?" he tosses at her. The _'Ifritah_ distinctly does _not_ react to the barb. He does not like her profession, even though socially her standing is above reproach. He is at least honest about his feelings unlike some of the other swine she's looked into renting from. Instead she glides into the cockpit and looks over the controls. She could fly this, easily. Behind her he moves to stay within a polite distance, "I got a surveyor and his wife interested in renting it. They're just waiting to hear back." He is a bag of mixed signals, and in spite herself she finds him almost more interesting than the shuttle.

"What's her range?"

Mal is finding this one intelligent and certainly competent. She asks good questions, her references are impeccable, and she's willing to pay for six months straight up, with a deposit. It's money he sorely needs to get them back in the air, "Standard short. She'll break atmo from a wide orbit. Get you where you need to go, bring you back home again." He pauses, then adds, "She's space worthy. Like the rest of _Serenity_ is."

He sounds like he's espousing his ship's honor. She looks at him, "No need to sound so defensive, Captain." Then she moves back into the main area again. She very much needs to be here. "I prefer something with a few miles on it." Her feet carry her into the center of the room as her mind is already filling the space with her belongings, new and old. And for a moment she sees more than the possibilities, but the Red Guardian himself before her, nodding. She can see his pale complexion and his intense blue eyes, and she knows he's in the form of something alive, not just as a temporary thing but as a choice that he made at the beginning of time, and he's struggling to keep it that way. With a slight shake of her head she turns to looks at Malcolm again, "Were we to enter into this arrangement, Captain Reynolds, there are a few things I would require from you. The foremost being complete autonomy. This shuttle would be my home. No crew member, including yourself, would be allowed entrance without my express invitation."

"You'd get your privacy," he assures her.

Something in his eyes makes her say the next bit with more coolness then she intends, "And just so we're clear, under no circumstances will I be servicing you or anyone who is under your employ."

"I'll post a sign."

She almost laughs, "That won't be necessary. The other thing I would insist upon is some measure of assurance that when I make an appointment with a client, I'm in a position to keep that appointment. So far as such assurances are possible on a vessel of this type." Inara must keep up the ruse and gather information for her people for as long as necessary, and if this isn't possible then she'll need to consult with Aereon before making her decision.

"That's an awful lot of caveats and addendums there, miss," he seems put off, but really she wonders if he is or if he's trying to gain some room to dicker with her over the prices of the rent.

"As I stated, I just want to be clear."

"Well. I'll be sure and take all of that into consideration when I review the applications." He wants dicker room. She bets that she's the only application he's got, actually.

She smiles at him, "Don't be ridiculous. You're going to rent this shuttle to me."

He seems surprised that she knows, "Am I?"

"Yes. And for one quarter less than your asking price." Really she's doesn't need it cheaper, but she does need him to understand that he wants her here, as much as she needs to be here.

"That a fact?"

Poker face on she says, "It is."

Now she notes that he doesn't argue the point about her getting this shuttle, only the deduction in cost that she tossed at him, "And you figure you'll be getting this discount... why exactly?"

"You want me." Opps, that sounds wrong, somehow, "You want me on your ship," better, but he does want her, she can tell.

"Do I?"

She nods, "Yes. Because I can bring something that your surveyor or any of the other fish you might have on line can't – a certain respectability."

He tries to cut her off, "Respecta—"

"And based on what little I've seen of your operation, I suspect that's something you could use." Her social standing would open doors for him that are currently closed, allow him to dock at ports that might otherwise turn him away, and provide him with a layer of cover he's lacking. While it means she's allying herself with an element of the underworld, she also knows that the Red Guardian _will_ set foot on this ship eventually. She needs to be here.

"Fine. Let me ask you this: if you're so respectable, why are you even here? I mean, I heard tell of fancy ladies such as yourself shipping out with the big luxury liners and the like. But a registered Companion on a boat like this? What are you running from?"

"I'm not running from anything." No, it's running _to_, if anything. Although her sisters back at the Companion house were getting a little suspicious of her lack of aging...

Malcolm raises an eyebrow, clearly itching to find out why she'd want to leave Sihnon for the stars, "If it's Alliance trouble you got, you might want to consider another ship. Some on board here fought for the Independents."

"The Alliance has no quarrel with me. I supported Unification."

He blinks, "Did ya? Well, I don't suppose you're the only whore that did."

She takes a deep soothing breath and looks Malcolm Reynolds in the eye. Then she smiles, "Oh – one further addendum. That's the last time you get to call me 'whore.'" She then walks back out of the shuttle, knowing that it is hers and her place in the wider scheme of things is set.

Behind her she hears him mumble, "Absolutely. Never again." _Right_, she thinks, _Never again. Sure_.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After their meal, Richard says, "Well, we do have an alien force to track. And the sooner we find it the safer everyone will be. We're not in the habit of kidnapping folks, so it's up to you, Miss Tyler." They are standing on the sidewalk outside the restaurant half way between the estate and the blown up shop where Rose worked. It will take her an hour to get back home, walking. One thing she hasn't got is who the Doctor is, or these people with him, for that matter. None of them seem to see this as a problem, but for all she knows he's a rapist, or murderer, or terrorist, or something. She needs some reason to trust them.

"You're offering to let me go with you, still? Even though I don't exactly believe the wild stories you've told me?"

The Doctor looks at her, "You wanted to know, and I've told you the what, the when, the why, and the how. Now we need to find the where. Like Richard said, at this point it's up to you. Come with us, or go home."

Rose looks at him, "But… _who_ are you?"

The fellow just blinks at her. Then River steps over at takes Rose by the hand, "Remember that first time you were told that the Earth is moving?" Rose looks at her and nods. "You were young, and the evidence you got from your eyes told you that it couldn't be true because everything is standing still." Rose nods again, because it's exactly what happened, like River was there with her. "Close your eyes." She finds that she wants to, that she trusts this girl. Then the Doctor takes her other hand. Suddenly the earth _is_ in motion. It's like being on a carnival ride, this persistent sense of direction. "Can you feel it…?" River whispers. Amazed, all Rose can do is nod.

Then the Doctor picks up the words, "… The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet, spinning at a thousand miles an hour and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour. And for a brief moment, I can let you _feel_ it. We're all falling through space clinging to the skin of this tiny little world." After a long pause he lets go. Rose sways as the feeling fades. She blinks. Then she meets his impossibly deep blue eyes. "That, and so much more, Rose Tyler, is who I am. Decide. Come with us, or go home."

Oh, she wants to. She really does. But there's her mum, and Mickey… and she's supposed to go out with him tonight, and suddenly she remembers how right the Doctor was about her 'beans on toast' life… She's torn. River squeezes her hand. Rose looks at her as the dark haired teen speaks, "Such a huge choice, to either slip back into ignorance or to open your eyes and see the 'Verse. It's destiny, Rose. Yours, Mine… The entire world, hanging in the balance. Remember what you wanted when you were young? It's come finally, that point you always knew would arrive. Do you really want to retreat?"

No, no she doesn't. "Alright then. Let's go." Rose says. She'll figure out the mess of her life later. Right now there's a world to save, and she's been offered a front row seat. She follows them down the lane to an alley where a blue police public call box sits.

The Doctor says, "So are we still getting the signal?"

"Yeah," says Jack, "But it's faint."

Removing his key from his pocket, the Doctor then replies, "Well, there's some tricks I can use to try to pin it down. With what we've got, I'm not too sure about success, however." He unlocks the door and Simon carries the arm, sans hand inside. The Doctor and Jack follow him. River smiles at Rose while Richard indicates 'ladies first'. _What sort of joke is this?_ Rose thinks. From inside she hears the Doctor saying, "Here, let's try putting them back together." It sounds faint-ish, like he's in a large room. River's smile becomes mysterious before she goes through the door. Rose narrows her eyes then steps through.

It takes her five steps to register that something's very off. Very, very off. She freezes. This is impossible! She should have hit the back wall, but... her mind sputters to a halt, not quite able to get around the change. "Yeah, it's a bit of a shock, first time." Richard agrees, as Rose stands there on the ramp blinking. The door closes behind her.

"Um, the inside's bigger than the outside?" Rose asks as he walks past her.

"Yes," says Simon from where he is standing on the upper grating near where the Doctor is fiddling with the hand and arm and a bunch of wires. "Much bigger, actually. This is just the control room."

"It's alien…" She says as she looks around the huge coral pillared chamber, with it's vine like cables and pleasing bluish light coming from a crystalline center column.

"Uh huh," says Jack as he circles the room to put his gear back in the cubby it came out of. "Unlike anything else you'll ever see." He speaks with undeniable affection and love. There's an unspoken '_and ain't she great_' in there.

"But… are you aliens?" Jack giggles from her expression.

The Doctor looks up, "I am, yes," he pauses a moment in his attempt to get a fix on the faint signal, "Is that all right?"

"Yeah," Rose almost laughs out. This is incredible. She must be dreaming. She puts a hand on the nearest pillar and it pulses under her fingers, impressing upon her with a single overwhelming sensation – it is alive. She immediately feels a connection to this, whatever it is, deep in her soul. It's like walking into an ancient church for the first time and realizing that kings have kneeled on the same stone in ages past. The sheer beauty and power she can sense flowing through the structure now that she is touching it awed her, "Wow."

"It's called the TARDIS, this thing. T-A-R-D-I-S, that's Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. My Ship. And – she likes you, Rose." Smiling, Miss Tyler nods to the Doctor. This is the craziest, but most fantastic thing that has ever happened to her. And she likes it, too.


	25. Part TwentyFive Flibbertigibbet

**A/N: **_ Jelly Babies in white paper bags for reviewers, right here!  
Hi mirth513! Glad you are feeling better. Yes, Riddick's voice is --- Sex for your ears. Hubba, hubba. **:-P** Rose has yet to see his eyes, so it's his voice she's noticing at the moment. Just you wait; she'll get a look at his eyes yet.  
PS: the Scene with Mal, Zoë and Jayne is based on a flashback scene from 'Out of Gas' as seen in the show Firefly._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty-Five

Flibbertigibbet

Mickey Smith's apartment, number ninety, just happened to exist on the side of the estate where _nothing_ would grow. As it was discovered, much to the project's beautification committee's distraught efforts, over the course of several attempts. The only thing to be done there was to 'fake' it. So where other locations had real plants in soil, outside number ninety was a plastic planter, filled with brown plastic pellets for soil, and fairly realistic plastic plants consisting of a fig tree, some wisteria faded to white from the sun, vine ivy, and some generic geraniums in a strange pinkish red color. Even the planter itself was fake plastic pottery, large enough to almost fill the landing when turned the wrong way. It could easily hide an adult in the thing, cramped but still. He'd wondered when it was first put in if someone planed on hiding a body inside it. Since then, Mickey himself had gotten to the point that he barely saw the monstrous thing.

Now for him, it was a normal day. For the moment at least. He was doing like he normally did on his day off. Lounging around his place, puttering on his computer and just barely cooking enough to boil water. Days off were meant for relaxing, after all.

The dark skinned man knew there'd be no lunch with Rose at the fountain today, because she had no job to go to. She'd seemed fine enough the night before and he wasn't really that concerned about her. She had said that she wasn't inside when the place blew, and he expected that she hadn't even seen it go. It was possible that Rose had been on the bus already and found out only when it appeared on the news.Not to say that she shouldn't have been a bit shaken up by the entire thing, really. He knows he would've been had it been his job at the garage. Odd that the shop had blown up though. He had yet to hear what caused it. All he knew was that there was nothing to be saved of the building, the fire had gutted it.

He hears a knock on the front door like a hard rubber ball hitting it. _Now, who's tossin' stuff at my door this time_? Mickey steps 'round to the door and opens it expecting to see a small handball sized object on the balcony. There's nothing there. He leans out further, looking left and right, thinking maybe it rolled. Nothing. That's odd. He pulls back and closes the door, not seeing the ivy vine from the planter that was slowly moving his direction. It pulls short and shakes like it's cold or angry. After a moment the fig tree gives the door another mighty thump.

Mickey, inside the kitchen, peers out the window, a coffee mug half washed out in one hand, water and suds dripping onto the counter. He's not going to the door until he spots the little shit playing around with the ball. There's no sign of the rascal near the door, and no sign looking the other way either. He flips the window open, "If you're hidin' below my window here, and thinking that I don't mind your little prank, you're wrong. This better not be Danny fiddlin' about, because if I catch you, I'll haul you to your dad by your ear, even if he's at work." The boy knows he'll do it too, just like he did last month when he caught him messing with Jackie and Rose's cat flap by pushing people's cats through it.

Finishing up the mug, he fixed himself some coffee and was heading back into the bedroom when another thump rattled his door. He paused. _Gonna kill that kid_, Mickey thought. He put the coffee down and threw open the front door to find… the fake fig tree in front of it. _What the -- _He expects to find the planter itself has been moved, but the ground is clear. Instead, it looks like the tree has been distorted over, almost like it was made of the flexible stuff with wire inside. He knows it is not, so how did it get bent so? Mickey reaches out and grips the branches of the thing and manages to turn it so that it is bent the other way, leaving his door clear. He then fixes it with a glare and closes the door, intending to go back to his day.

Picking up his mug, he wanders into the bedroom and begins sorting through his email. Outside the plastic planter, using the ivy and wisteria vines to pull itself along, begins scraping itself over to his bedroom window, one slow painstaking inch at a time. While Mickey hears the scraping sound, he's fed up with the entire strangeness of the morning and puts on some music to drown it out. About five minutes pass, and he hears another thump, this time on glass, rattling his windowpane enough to nearly break it. "Come on then, Danny! I'm gonna have your dad tan your hide and I'll stay to watch!" He gets up and marches out onto the landing and trips over the planter that is between the front door and his bedroom window. He manages to not end up flat on his face. _How the hell --_

There's no way the kid could have moved the planter. It's too heavy for even Mickey to move. He walks around it looking for skid marks. There's nothing. He steps back and stares at it, noting that the Wisteria is not the same shape and the ivy trails across the landing, instead of being entwined in the now straight fig tree. He bends to pick the vines up and put them back inside the planter. They proceed to twist around his hands and feet, although he's unaware of that yet, too intent on getting the vines he's picked up back where they belong. He pauses and untangles one strand, which he places back over a tree branch.

Only – when he goes to pull away, the skin of the plastic branch stretches like gum, stuck to him. "Huh?"

Therein begins a tug of war, with his trying to get free, and the suddenly hostile plastic plants trying to not let him. And really, there's no way he can win, not with the vines of ivy and wisteria binding him, and the fig tree intent on giving them time to tighten their grip even more. He goes to step back and trips, landing hard on the walkway, "Ugh!" The entire planter seems to move toward him, leaning over. Mickey attempts scrambling away on his hands and knees even though the plastic film is still stick to his hand and is fighting his attempt, only to find that the ivy is like sticky brambles, catching his skin and clothes. It starts dragging him back, "Ahh!" He grips the rail with one foot, struggling with all his might. Then his shoe pops off. The next thing he knows is he's in the air then he's slurped inside the planter, under the pellets and plants before he goes unconscious.

Some of the pellets sort of boil and the other shoe pops out of the brown pellets like a discarded sunflower seed shell before the planter goes still. Mickey's door slowly closes.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

This day wasn't turning out quite like Mal'd planned. Then again, most days didn't. However this was the first time that they'd been held up at gunpoint just moments away from liftoff. He and Zoë are both on the open ramp to the hold to his ship with their hands in the air facing three very ugly armed scruffy men that all looked like bathing was a foreign concept. The leader looks like he's trying to pull off the old 'Mexican outlaw' look, and isn't quite successful at it. "He's gonna talk to us about 'reason,' now." He says to the larger uglier man to his right.

The fella to his left kind of makes a swaggering motion, "Yeah. That's a joke." Of the three he looks the most intelligent and the least respected. And the cleanest. Might be something there that Mal can exploit.

He leans over to Zoë slightly, "Which one you figure tracked us?"

She raises and eyebrow at him and indicates Jayne with a slight tick of her face, something he wouldn't catch had he not spent the last, say, fifteen years with her near night and day. She says, "The ugly one, sir." It's very deadpan. He can't tell if she's joking or not.

After a pause he asks, "Could you be more specific?" He knows this is insulting, but he's also betting that the three with the guns are none too bright.

The leader of the trio in front of them makes a motion that gets Mal's attention again, "Do we look reasonable to you?"

"Well," Mal glances over the three, "Looks can be deceiving." Or he hopes so anyhow. Do these other two even know the meaning of clean?

The neatest of the three, still being taken for granted says, "Not as deceiving as a low down dirty..." he pauses for a moment, digging through his brain for the word he wants. Not finding it he finishes with, "deceiver."

Yep, he can use that, Mal thinks, the fact that they aren't paying the younger man that much mind, likely means that they aren't paying him much of anything, "Well said," The captain of Serenity eases into flattering the man, trying to get some feel for how to hook him. Then he looks to his second for some back up, "Wasn't that well said, Zoë?"

_Now, what is going on in that crazy head of yours_? Zoë thinks. She better play along, because he's got something up his sleeve and she is pretty sure that his hunch is a good one whatever it might be, "Had a kind poetry to it, sir."

She notes that the man on the left is antsy, "You want I should shoot 'em now, Marco?" Ah, so that's whom we're dealing with. Marco. Right. That's good to know.

"Wait until they tell us where they put the stuff," Marco orders.

The left fella says, "That's a good idea." He nods, "Good idea. Tell us where the stuff's at so I can shoot you."

Mal turns his full attention to the brown haired man, "Point of interest? Offering to shoot us might not work so well as an incentive as you might imagine." He shrugs, "Anyway, we've hidden it. So, you kill us, you'll never find it."

Taking credit for hunting them down he retorts back, "Found _you_ easy enough."

"Yeah. Yeah you did, didn't you?" Mal looks impressed at the fella, letting him see that he appreciates the feat even if the man's current leader does not, "How much they paying you?"

This throws the brawny gun-for-hire. Clearly he's not used to anyone paying him much more than a passing glance, "Huh?"

Hitting his stride, Mal takes on a conversational air, "I mean, let's say you did kill us. Or didn't." He shrugs, "There could be torture. Whatever. But somehow you found the goods. What would your cut be?"

Blinking, the man says, "Seven percent, straight off the top."

"Seven? Oh." He lets his surprise boil over. He expected maybe the fella was making a quarter cut, and out of a third that would be low.

The other man narrows his eyes, "What?"

"Hmm? Nothing. Not a thing. No, I just..." He looked over at Zoë who he noticed looked just about as shocked as he did, "That seem low to you?"

"It does, sir."

Now he looks offended, "That ain't low..."

Sensing trouble, Marco orders, "Stop it."

"Seven percent's standard," the fella declares.

Laughing openly, Mal looks over at Zoë, "Okay. Zoë, I'm paying you too much." She shrugs.

"Why? What does she get?" He's getting curious now, and Mal knows he's almost got him.

"Knock it off," Marco orders again, now though he's getting the same amount of treatment that he was giving the young man in the first place.

Mal moves his arms a bit wider, taking on an innocent air, "Look, forget I said anything. I'm sure you're treated very well. You get the perks. Got your own room." At that the fellow makes a face, and Mal knows he can adjust the percentage a bit because he's got other things he can offer besides money, "No? You _share_ a bunk?"

He makes a motion to the scruffy, smelly man on Marco's right, "With that one."

Mal doesn't need to act disgusted because he is. Who would willingly share a bunk with such a scumbag? "Really?"

"Jayne, this ain't funny," Marco says.

Jayne glowers at everything, finally getting the picture that he's been ripped off and abused, "Yeah, I ain't laughin'."

Time to sink the hook, Mal thinks, "You move on over to this side, we'll not only show you where the stuff's at -- we'll see to it you get your fair share. Not no sad 'seven.'"

Jayne actually wavers, "Private room?" He sounds so hopeful.

"Jayne!"

Both Mal and Jayne ignore Marco, "Your own room. Full run of the kitchen. Whole shot," Mal assures the hired gun.

Narrowing his eyes now, Marco goes to threaten, "Jayne. I ain't aski—" but he doesn't get it out before Jayne makes his decision and shoots him in the leg.

"Shut up." Then his gun swings over to the other bandit. "How big a room?" he asks Mal.

Zoë shakes her head and pulls her weapon aiming at the remaining bandit. Mal says, "Why don't I show you what we got here and you can pick?" Jayne blinks and nods. "Keep 'em covered, Zoë. We'll be right back." She gives him a 'yes sir' as they walk off into_ Serenity_. That worked out well, better than most, even.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The arm had gotten them nowhere. They'd tried everything, and although the signal was still going and steady, if faint, they couldn't trace it back to the source. Feeling frustrated and more than slightly pissed off, the Doctor was glaring at the insistent slow, taunting blip, like that might change something. Rose looked at her watch, "I'm supposed to meet my boyfriend for a date tonight. Maybe we should take a break and get some dinner? I can call him and have him meet us someplace," Rose suggests.

The Time Lord glowered, but Richard cut off anything he might have said when he put his hand on the back of his neck and kneaded it for a moment, "Sure. We can sit in a different area just in case he wants some time with you. Come on, we could use the time to regroup and figure this out, huh?" His last question is directed at the blue eyed alien. He sighed and nodded, his face softening. This was his fault. He should have remembered that they'd need a head to actually track the signal. But a lot had happened since then, hundreds of years and half a dozen lifetimes had passed. It just figured that he'd overlook something like that.

Rose turned and plucked up her phone out of her pocket, missing the slow closing of those impossibly deep blue eyes and the lean backwards as the pale Time Lord settled into the bronze complexioned man's touch. "Hey, Mickey! Yeah, I know I was supposed to call you earlier. I've been… working. Got a job already. It might mean doing some traveling though, so I thought perhaps we could still go out tonight."

Over the phone Mickey responds, "Work-ing? Good. Out tonight. Yes."

Rose doesn't notice anything strange, "So -- what are we going to do tonight? I fancy a pizza."

"Pizza! Puh-puh-puh-pizza!" he seems quite enthusiastic.

"Or Chinese," Rose offers.

Happily, Mickey says, "Pizza."

"So, meet you at the usual? Maybe my new boss an' co-workers will want to come, that ok?"

"Sure. Pizza."

"Alright, I'll order a pitcher when I get there." She makes a kissing sound and hangs up. "All set. There's this nice Italian place we go to, I think you'll like it."

It's not worth it to argue, the Doctor realizes. They all set out of the TARDIS back toward the project, and around to the far side where the restaurant is. It's a nice little place. Clean, and the food smells good. Maybe they can have a pleasant meal and think about their next step. Once they inside, he, River, Simon, Richard and Jack settle off in a booth, near enough to see where Rose goes, but not so close to be in the way. But the Doctor still has his PDA in his pocket and when Rose's boyfriend comes in looking rather shiny, with a bright smile, but a plastic sheen all the same, the Doctor looks, pulls out his PDA and scans under the table then gives Richard a very strange look. "What?"

"Looks like it is coming to us," glances down at his readings and then shows them to Richard.

"Should we warn her?" Simon inquires.

"Just go buy three bottles of bubbly, Simon. Then wait until River signals you." He nods and gets up from the table.

Rose kisses Mickey and pours him a beer, "So this new job, I'm gonna have to go out of town and stuff, and I haven't told mum yet. I'm not sure what she'll do when I do tell her. I'm going to miss you, not seeing you every day, but I can't pass this up. It just is too good a deal. And really, it's a chance of --"

"So where did you meet this Doctor?" Mickey interrupts. Rose blinks. _What?_ She hasn't mentioned the Doctor to him. She cocks her head at him, "'Cause I reckon it all started at the shop. Am I right? Was he something to do with that?"

"No. What are you talking about?"

Mickey looks at her, "Come on. The explosion yesterday. Was he involved?"

"I've got no idea who you are jabbering about. I've not mentioned any doctor."

"What was he doing there? Why did the shop blow up?"

Rose leans back in her seat, "I'm not going on about it, Mickey, really, I'm not. I know it sounds daft, but I don't think it's safe." Dropping her voice to a whisper, "It's dangerous. And it's likely classified."

The oddly shiny Mickey isn't blinking as much as he should be either, "But you can trust me, sweetheart - babe - darling - babe - sugar." Rose stares at him, and then looks around, getting the faint impression that something is not right. But Mickey doesn't notice, "You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning and I can help you, Rose, 'cause that's all I really want to do sweetheart – babe–babe–babe. – Sugar – sweetheart." He's sounding oddly mechanical and he hasn't touched his beer.

Very much _not_ like Mickey. "What are you doing that for?" Rose asks.

_Now Simon, _River tells her brother. He picks up the bottles and a serving set-up. Quickly he moves to the table pushing his cart, "Your champagne, Madam, Sir." Both Richard and the Doctor move up behind Rose, rather out of the synthetic man's radar.

The bogus man does not take his eyes off of Rose; "We didn't order any champagne." Simon slides to the other side of the table as Mickey continues, "Where is the Doctor?" He puts a hand over Rose's hand and grips. She knows suddenly that this is not her boyfriend, nor even something human, the hand over hers is plastic. "I need to find out how much you know. So where is he?"

Another voice comes from the side of the waiter; "Doesn't _anybody_ want this champagne?"

"Look, we didn't order it –" Plastic Mickey looks up and sees the three men, two pale and one with a bronze complexion, all shaking bottles of the bubbly wine, "Ah, gotcha."

Rose turns. The Doctor gives her a manic grin, "Don't mind us. We're just toasting the happy couple. On the house!" In synch, three corks fly at the imitation Mickey. _Pop. Pop. Pop._ While he's distracted, letting go of Rose, River snags her from the table and moves her out of the way. At least one cork hits the plastic man in the face and another his hand.

The substitute Mickey spits out a cork and gets to his feet, "Anyway ..." He alters his hand into something better suited as a weapon and smashes the table.

"Simon, get River, Rose, and Jack out of here," orders the tall tanned man, as the pale one the phony Mickey is after dodges to the side. Simon tugs the others toward the back. The nearest patrons are already scrambling to get out of the way as the plastic humanoid form destroys the restaurant in an effort to kill the Doctor who is playing a fair game of keep away with it. Richard lunges and gets in to a choke hold. They needed a head, looks like they might be able to use this one, if he can get it off the body. The plastic man continues to struggle, smashing things at random. There's a whirl as the Time Lord brings his sonic screwdriver to bare on the problem and loosens the joint a bit. The head pops off quite suddenly. "Ouf!" Richard loses a lung full of air as he falls, still holding the head. The body falls the other way. "Yeah, thanks, very much, Doctor." He gets back to his feet.

"Just a dummie, a err… Robot gone wrong. It's ok; we have it under control now. Um… Why don't you all just exit the building quickly? Yes. Thank you," says the Doctor as he tries to shoo the upset patrons out before they erupt into blind panic.

Behind him the head in Richard's hands opens its eyes, "-- Don't think that's gonna stop me."

Turning, the Doctor smiles at the plastic talking head. Oh, this is good. Should get a nice strong steady signal out of this bit. Behind him the body gets to its feet. Rose realizes that people are going to get hurt unless they get out, so she turns and pulls the fire alarm even as people are starting to panic, "Everyone out! Out now!" At the same time, she, the Doctor, Simon, River, Jack and Richard, who still has the plastic head, run for the back, "Get out! Get out! Get out!" The plastic Mickey body begins destroying the dining area as it vaguely heads their way. They run.


	26. Part TwentySix Hasten

**A/N: **_ Now, I know this chapter is delayed a bit. I have a valid excuse. My birthday was on the 15th of March and because it was a momentous event (I turned 40! Oh, my god, can you believe it?), I was dragged away from my computer. Anyhow. I want my reviewers and readers to know that I do appreciate you. If you are insane enough to spare time to read the product of a demented now 40-year-old-possessed-by-a-1000-year-old-time-lord writer you deserve it. If you leave reviews I'll give you a virtual bag of Jelly Babies. Thanking My Reflection, OtherMeWriter, and cassikat for the thoughts on the last chapter.  
Yeah, I thought the planter idea was cute. Another one of those 'Dream Inspired' scenes. I think I'm gonna be scarred for life though. There's a planter just like I described at the school where I work and now I wonder if any missing children are hidden in there… I didn't know about it because I normally don't muck about in the building where it is located. But I had to sub over there for two days after the chapter was written and lo' there it was! **0.o**  
Cassikat, I'm glad to see you review. I needed a reason for Rose to be involved, and a reason for the TARDIS to reach out to her, and so the parasite was born. It's one of those things that bugged me about her story line in the show, so I'm fixing it. Now the Doctor's cure… that's still up in the air. I know how they are going to contain the energy, but not who is the critical element to kill it, yet. I've got a few ideas buzzing around though, so we'll see when we get there.  
And I'm glad you got your 'net back, My Reflection, I was about to call in the Cybermen Search Team to try to find you! **;-D**  
Firefly bits here are from "Serenity" Part one, the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM.  
PS, Mei-Gui means 'Rose or red-pink flower' in Chinese._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty-Six

Hasten

Now today was a momentous day, sort of. Today marked the start of the sixth year, fourth month, and third week since the Independent leadership had destroyed Malcolm Reynold's faith in everything but his own self. Not that he was counting or anything. He wasn't even sure that this job was one that he'd not be screwed over by. Most of them ended up being that way. Jaded, that's what he'd become. Realistic. The 'Verse didn't give a rat's ass about him and he mostly returned the favor. So to be in space, trawling through a husk of a ship for someone else's ultimate profit, risking his skin just so he could keep his boat in the air was par to the course. At least he had a space suit. "The vault's sealed," he says. This is promising. It means that no one else has been stupid enough to try this yet. "Okay. I'm gonna boil it. Jayne, give me the sticky." Another thing about today that is good is that he's not alone. He's got Jayne Cobb and Zoë Warren née Alleyne with him. Should push come to shove and hell come a' callin' at least he'd be in good company. The other man hands him the 'sticky', a gel held in a caulking type dispenser, that is a mighty powerful 'explosive' that doesn't actually explode. He applies the gel around the door's locking mechanism, connects the wires to the control box, and lets it heat up to the point that the metal under it is eaten, or boiled, away. Sticky is great stuff, expensive and restricted to all manner of degrees, but great all the same. They just don't want to get caught with the gel nor waste it. "Okay. We get the goods; we're off this wreck and back on the ship. No worries." He could use a single job without a hitch; it would make for a nice change of pace.

Back on _Serenity_, Wash was in the pilot chair, doing as he normally did while waiting… Playing with his toys. Those toys consisted of a fine set of dinosaurs, some plastic palm trees, and a few other unknown bits that had seen better days. He had a vivid imagination and could come up with an endless number of themes to play out with his 'characters'. There was the kindly Stegosaurus that wanted to see the best of everyone, the sinister T-Rex who acted like the good guy until the right moment came to backstab everyone, and the stupid Brontosaurus, with his simple habits. Not to mention the other assorted characters he assigned to the other plastic figures.

Currently he's acting out the 'new fertile valley' spectacle. He can see it in his mind as the Stegosaurus leads the group of survivors from some past devastation into a better area where they can thrive. Like any small-brained dinosaur the benevolent leader announces that the area is a good one and that they should settle here. At that moment the evil T-rex shows his true colors and they begin to fight. Of course the evil mean fellow will win this first battle – _Wait, what is that light_? Switching into pilot mode, he sweeps his toys aside and studies the sensor screen. Something big --Alliance Cruiser, he quickly identifies -- is closing in on their position very quickly. "Oh, motherless son of a b–"

Down at the vault, the locking mechanism flies out of the door, "Full pressure. The goods must be intact," says Zoë. She hopes so, at least. She's never trusted this particular source of work, and little could make her change her mind about that.

Mal swings the door open and shines a light inside. There are three crates inside, "Okay. Looking good."

This is the exact point that Wash manages to get his act together enough to contact them, "Captain, we got incoming! Alliance Cruiser, bearing right down on us!"

"_Ta ma de_," swears Mal. It is exactly how they all are feeling at the moment, "Have they spotted us?"

"I can't tell if—"

Mal cuts Wash off, "Have they hailed us?"

Even while he's trying to think Jayne decides to make commentary that is less than helpful, "If they're here for the salvage, we're humped."

"If they find us at all, we're humped. Thievin' ain't exactly—"

Jayne cuts Zoë off, "I don't like this."

Aggravated Mal barks, "_Bizui_," silencing them both, "Shut it down, Wash. Everything but the air." Really they should have done that from the start. Now it was likely that they'd be spotted no matter what they did. He doubted that they had enough time to go totally cold, but perhaps the fact that there were no lights would keep the purplebellies from doing a scan in the first place.

"Shutting down," the pilot says as he sets to work, flipping switches and cutting systems off systematically, "Kaylee! KAYLEE! Go to black out! We're being buzzed!"

Less than a second later he hears, "Shi," as the engineer taps the coms on her way to carry out instructions, "Going dark." He imagines that she backs herself into a situation where she's stuck up someplace and can't get down, just like last time. Regardless, the last of the systems shut down leaving him in darkness that quickly begins to cool. His eyes glue to the Alliance vessel that looks like a city in space, huge skyscrapers towering into the stars, totally dwarfing everything around it, including the husk that Serenity is currently attached to. There's a long, long tick of a moment that passes ever so slowly.

"Wash, they slowing down?" comes Mal over the coms. He sounds about how Wash feels watching the huge ship approach like predator. Panicked and scared.

Wash rips his eyes from the ship and to his readings, "That's a neg. Don't think they're interested in us. We should be eating wake in a minute or two." _Oh, please, please, please..._ After seeing exactly how inhumane these bastards can be all Wash has ever wanted is to be free of them, with a good ship to fly and a his wife at his side. Only the purplebelly threat just won't go away.

Barely breathing, Mal finds himself captivated by the sheer danger that the huge hulk of a ship that the Alliance cruiser represents. It's not a handsome ship by any means, being overly streamlined and large, built to impress but with all traces of humanity stripped away. He hates it with a passion born of soul rending passion. Beside him, standing just as still, is Zoë. She knows this body language. It runs deep, this hate. She's made herself cool to it, although she can't totally push away the feeling. The Alliance leaves a sickly taste in her mouth too. But Mal – he's lost everything to the monster that this ship represents, his home, his family, his livelihood, his faith, and most of all, his joy at being alive. It's as if his very soul becomes tattered and stained from the last battle all over again and the years since vanish just at the sight of the ship. She at least has him and a new family. For her it's enough. Even Jayne is quiet, although the reasons are different than the other two. He waits, not wanting to get shot for interrupting them, eager to get the goods and flee.

It looks like they are in the clear. Wash almost breaths a sigh of relief and then an alarm bleats at him and lights twinkle across the dash, telling him that they are being scanned, "_Aiya_!_ Huai-le_!" he screams before contacting Mal, "Captain! We're humped!"

Suddenly he doesn't care if they've been seen, he's not leaving without what they came for, "Prep the ship now," he orders. Turning to Zoë and Jayne, "We move these in, double-time." They scramble for a crate each.

Wash follows orders, fingering the ship back to life, "Kaylee, fire it up."

Mal knows this was always possible, always. Now they had to use the backup plan to draw the Alliance away, and he hated to do it because that meant another expensive bit of gear that they'd use up on this might-not-get-paid operation. "Cry, Baby, Cry," he orders as he floats through the ruins of the ship toward his own hold.

The pilot knows what he means, "Make your mother sigh. Engaging the crybaby." The fake transmitter dropped off on their way there goes off, just like it is supposed to, sending out a faked distress call that should make the Alliance leave.

Reaching the airlock of_ Serenity_ after what seems like forever, Mal feels his stomach clenching as he bothers to hope that the crybaby is enough to make the bigger ship leave. Zoë and Jayne float in past him. Pushing it aside it pops his fist against the controls three times, sealing the ship, turning on the artificial gravity and pumping atmo into the bay. He unlocks his helmet and toggles the com, "Wash! We're on. Go!"

Giving just a bit of a warning Wash says, "Hang on, travelers..."

The three in the bay grab various bits of webbing. Jayne removes his helmet, "Let's moon 'em." And they do. _Serenity_ turns and flashes her engine's exhaust at the larger ship as she puts distance between them.

Now they have to hope that the crybaby is enough to keep the Alliance ship busy. Wash keeps his eyes on the readings, "We look shiny, Captain. They are not, repeat, _not_ coming about."

The second in command deflates from her readiness to fight, "Close one."

"Anyone you walk away from, right? Long as we got the goods, I call this a win," Jayne says.

Mal doesn't feel it. He knows better. Every little thing has major ripples, "Right," he finds something else to focus on besides the sinking feeling in his gut, "We win." Only they can't. They never do. There's no 'win' only 'live another day' and right now he's not sure that's enough.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Lightyears away and over five hundred years in the past there's a Time Lord echoing Mal's thoughts as he ushers his companions, five in number now, through a kitchen while a headless plastic body smashes things behind him. Of course, the Doctor is wondering a bit about the 'live' part too. Ahead of him the shop-girl, Rose screams, "Get out!" at the workers who do the sensible thing and flee or dive for cover. That alone might be worth keeping her around for. People seem to follow her instructions. Things are crashing behind them as the body flails blindly. Richard has whipped a napkin over the head, blocking its eyes, something the Doctor wouldn't have thought to do. The sight of it makes Thete grin. His Amadak is so very clever.

Jack leads the way into the back hallway that bisects the storage area with Simon and River close behind. Rose is holding onto the dark-headed girl's hand, half being pulled and half pulling as they run. Richard and the alien are in the rear, but still within a half step of the front. The body doesn't waste time in the kitchen, instead taking the most direct route though. Jack throws the backdoor open and takes off into the alley. The others pile out behind him, not stopping, all but the Time Lord. He runs out, sure enough, but then the Doctor slams the door closed with a kick, spins and thinks better of leaving the portal unlocked, "Go! Take it back to the TARDIS, Richard." He digs for the sonic screwdriver to seal the door closed as the fake Mickey body hits the door and starts hammering at it with a steady rain of resounding blows.

Meanwhile Jack and River have caught Rose to keep her from running right past the TARDIS, which has moved to meet them. The blonde is in a state of panic and not quite believing that this blue box is the same one as before. "She's already here. Come on Doctor, you've got the key," Riddick calls back to him. Thete takes out the gold key and tosses it to River who neatly catches it.

"Racing time here, people. As soon as the Nestene realizes what we're doing it will take whatever measures necessary to stop us. Simon, get it hooked up like I showed you."

River puts the key in the lock and lets the others inside. Richard and Simon both quickly cross to the center console, while Jack helps River tug Rose inside. "It's safe," she tells the other panicked woman.

The fake Mickey is quickly making scrap out of the door. "He's gonna follow us!" Rose screams.

"Nah," says the Doctor as he places a calming hand on her back, steering her further inside as two men work on hooking up the head. River closes the door. He's guiding her closer to the central column, "The assembled hordes of Ghengis Khan couldn't get through that door and believe me, they've tried."

"Sonic screwdriver?" Simon asks. The Doctor pulls it back out of his pocket and hands it over to the lad who begins to use it as he helps the ex-ranger.

Jack is watching the two work, "This gonna do it?"

"It should. You see; the arm was too simple, but the head is perfect. We can use it to trace the signal back to the original source," the Time Lord stops and looks over the shorter man's shoulder, "How's it going?"

"Almost there," says Richard. "It would help if you'd shut up a tick."

Beside him Rose finally breaks, her eyes glued onto the fake Mickey head tilted oddly as wires are stuck into it's 'brain'. Sobbing, she begins to press questions into the air, "Did they kill him? Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?" The Doctor pats her shoulder and gets a slightly thoughtful look, _River?_ The ebony-tressed reader moves over to Rose and puts her arms around her, concentrating. Oblivious, the blonde continues to sob, "He's my boyfriend. Richard pulled off his head --"

River takes Rose by the face and makes her look into her eyes; "He's alive, _Mei-gui_. Calm down. We'll get him back for you." Rose throws herself into River's arms and hugs her. "Shush. It's ok."

"It's melting!" Jack says.

That snaps the Doctor's attention to what Rich and Simon are doing, "Melt--?" He jumps in and starts helping, "Ah, no, no, no! No!" He's zipping around the controls now, as he tries to salvage this situation. "That knob, Jack," he points.

The boy darts in and turns it as indicated, "Got it."

"What are they doin'?" Rose asks River as the sounds of the TARDIS engines start up.

"Tracking the signal before the Nestene can stop us, I hope."

The Doctor pauses as the ship makes a groaning sound that isn't overly nice sounding, his attention focused on a screen, "Oh, no you don't," he toggles a switch to enhance the readings, just like he did with the arm, "Come on, ol' girl, you can do this." He strokes the console.

"It's fading." Simon observes.

"No shit," says Richard.

"The switch there," the time lord indicates, and Simon flips it. "Wait – almost… No! No! No, no, no, NO!" The ship lands with a thump. "Ah! We were almost there. Right back to the source."

"How close do you think we got?"

The Doctor sighs, "A few blocks. If we are lucky the transmitter will be visible from here and we'll know which way to go." He opens the door. "Let's see where we are, shall we?"

"But – No." Rose says as River and the others leave the melted slag from Mickey's fake head on the console in favor of heading to the door. "You can't go out there! It's not safe!"

"Don't be ridiculous, _Mei-gui,_" says Simon. "Come on, let's rescue your boyfriend."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After putting some massive distance between themselves and the close encounter with the Alliance ship Mal decides that they had better make sure the goods were what they were supposed to be. Jayne helps eagerly, and everyone else just has to be there for the reveal. Closing his eyes, Mal lifts the top off the first crate, half expecting it to be empty. Only it's not, "Well that, sure enough, don't hurt to see." He's relieved to see the golden bars inside just like they are supposed to be.

Behind him the engineer says, "They're awfully pretty..." She, like most times, sounds cheerful and excited. Every day is an adventure to Kaylee Frye.

"I'd say worth a little risk." Wash sounds factual, but not overly smiling. He knows that they are still in the thick of it, as long as these bars are in the hold.

Jayne doesn't think much of the pilot, "Yeah, that was some pretty risky sittin' you did there."

The strawberry blond doesn't let his anger overwhelm his charming wit, "That's right, of course, 'cause they wouldn't arrest me if we got boarded, I'm just the pilot. I can always say I was flying the ship by accident. You know, that pretty –"

"_Bizui_," Mal orders, as he looks over the bar in his hand, very quickly dropping it back into the case.

That gets Zoë's attention more effectively than anything else might, "Problem, sir?"

Besides the fact that Badger lied to them? Hell no. They can unload these imprinted-down-to-the-molecule bars anyplace. Not. He relaxes his jaw, "Couldn't say." He closes the case before anyone else gets nosy, "But we'd best be gettin' rid of these before we run into another Alliance patrol."

Not seeing that Mal's dark mood has taken a swing to absolutely void black, Jayne goes right on with the talking, "What the hell they doin' out this far, anyhow?"

Kaylee, who is much more in tune with Mal's moods steps in to keep Jayne from meeting his end right there, "Shining the light of civilization."

"Doesn't do us any good..." the gun-for-hire grouses.

"Well," she shrugs, "we're uncivilized."

Mal pushes them out of his mind and focuses on the problem and how to solve it, "How long 'til we reach Persephone?" he asks Wash.

"Three or four hours."

"Can we shave that?" Mal wants this cargo off his boat, as soon as humanly possible. Sooner if he can profit by it. He wishes he'd never looked at the bars up close.

The light haired man shakes his head at the captain, "We're down to the wire on fuel cells. We run hot, we might not even make it."

Mal feels that old tick in his forehead that precedes an excessive ache in his temples starting. He takes a deep breath and tries to stay calm. This is not Wash's fault. " 'Kay. Play it as close as you can. This catch is burning a hole in my hull."

Concerned Zoë looks at him. She can see the stress written over his face. Trying to find out what has rattled him so she asks, "Think that cruiser could've I.D.'d us?"

Being honest, he replies, "Let's hope not." Actually it hadn't occurred to him that they might be able to. He'd been careful to not keep up the codes on the hull in an effort to make it difficult for the Alliance to do that. Meant he'd be fined if they were caught, but it also meant that the waves wouldn't automatically deny him port because the ship's ID was plastered on it. "Contact Badger, tell him the job's done. Don't go to mentioning the cruiser, though. Keep it simple."

"Sir, we're sure there's nothing wrong with the carg—"

Mal cuts her off, "It's fine. I just wanna get paid." The second in command looks at Wash but doesn't voice her fears. He knows them already, she can tell by looking into his blue eyes. Her husband turns and heads up the ladder and she follows him. Mal switches his focus to the crates, "All right, let's get these crates stowed. I don't want any tourists stumbling over them." He opens a secret compartment.

Delighted, Kaylee asks, "We're taking on passengers at Persephone?" Everything makes her happy.

"Yeah, that's the notion. We could use a little respectability on the way to Boros. Not to mention the money." He and Jayne work to move the first crate.

"Pain in the ass..." Jayne complains.

She huffs a bit, "No, it's shiny! I like to meet new people. They've all got stories..." Kaylee pitches right in to help, sliding the next crate into Jayne and Mal's reach.

The mercenary turns to catch the box, "Captain, can you stop her from bein' cheerful, please?"

Almost snickering Mal looks at the man, "I don't believe there is a power in the 'Verse that can stop Kaylee from being cheerful." He then flashes her a genuine smile so she knows he's teasing her, "Sometimes you just wanna duct tape her mouth and dump her in the hold for a month."

After a beat she grins in that angelic way of hers and kisses his cheek, "I love my captain."


	27. Part TwentySeven Mastery

**A/N: **_Firefly bits here are from "Serenity" Part one, the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM, and Mei-gui means 'Rose or red-pink flower' in Chinese. (Offers Jelly Babies)  
Thank you to OtherMeWriter for the review. I know the Firefly bits seem a bit disjointed. But they tie in with the opening scenes for Simon back in "Doctor Who and the Great Eclipse". We're going to see just how close Simon came to meeting himself before this is over. But don't worry… The Doctor is with him. Just a few chapters more and everything will fall into place. Honest.  
Huggabledog, Hi there! Yes, this will veer away from the shows, while picking up pieces of the plotlines that are still relevant (that might exist). This is why there's no Clive (although I'm thinking of having Mickey or Jackie do that line of research…), and the plastic planter ate Mickey… And more. Yes, there will be more (Like… why and how did the TARDIS get moved without the Doctor knowing it? Should that still happen? Will it? I suppose you'll have to read to find out.).  
So anyone want Mickey to pack along with us at the end of 'Rose'?_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty-Seven

Mastery

Rose stood, unsure. The others had exited and she heard no screams. Taking a deep breath she walked down the ramp and to the open door. Looking out she is shocked to find that they are in a different area than before. "Wha--?" Somehow she should have known, right. The box had moved from one alley to another, and before that the Doctor had called it his 'ship'. Right. She needed to pay more attention to what they were saying and she'd be less surprised more often. 

The other four were somewhat scattered. Jack and River were together, hunched over a PDA. Simon was pacing, his own PDA out. Richard was standing near the Doctor, very near, intimately near… Oh. "-lost the signal? We have to be close," the Time Lord is mumbling as the bronze man kneads the back of his neck. He's leaned over with his pale hands braced on the stone wall that separates them from the Thames River, looking down. "And it knows I'm here, Amadak," he whispers. 

"This might sound callous, but I'm more concerned about you than the invasion attempt. You pushed Verity into bringing us closer and exposed yourself to the very thing that you needed to avoid. You're getting warm again."

"And if I don't stop this, Richard, all of you will be lost to me. Don't you dare say that your lives are not worth mine."

"I'd never say that," the bronze skinned man raised his head and looked out across the water. 

Now Rose was bubbling over with questions, so many that she scarcely knew where to start. She wondered about how they got here, if they'd been seen, and what the hell was Richard talking about? He made it sound like the alien was ill or something. And what about the headless plastic body? She reached out and stopped Simon mid-step, "What are we going to do about the headless version of my boyfriend that was threatening all those people?"

"It's ok," Simon told her, "It melted with the head. When the Nestene gave up on part of it, it all went the same way. Relax, _Mei-gui_. No one is in immediate danger." 

"Um… Mee-gway?"

Simon smiled at her, "_Mei-gui_. It means 'Rose Blossom'. We call River_ Mei-Mei_, that's 'Little Sister'. Consider it a complement, Rose." She nodded and glanced over at Richard and the Doctor who were huddled over the stone wall still, trying to keep the questions about them off her face. "They are close," the raven-haired young man told her, "They've known each other for a very long time, from what I gather. But, Rose, it's not entirely what you're thinking." She looked at him, "Please, don't judge until you know more."

She shrugged, "I don't care. It's cool. I mean – they are, um, _tight_. Right? Like a couple?"

He shook his head, "The Doctor's not human, _Mei-gui_. What he asks of us, what he needs to survive, it's not the same as being someone's paramour. It's not – totally physical. I can't describe it in words that reach deep enough, that mean enough. We're his _kith_. Kindred, by heart if not blood. His support, defenders and nurturers, his eyes and ears, his company and companions. And maybe even more." As he looked at Rose her aura pulsed and glittered. "I'm worried about him though. His internal temperature is rising again. That's not healthy for him."

While this bothers her, she's not sure she knows enough to ask an intelligent question about it so she sticks to what she knows, "Do you reckon that you'll still be able to find Mickey?"

"Of course. He's got to be here, very close. Look, I'm getting a non-directional steady signal. Almost like I'm right on top of the transmitter."

She glances at his PDA, studying it as the pulses of the signal wash over the screen in waves. After a moment she says, "What would this transmitter look like?" Rose has an odd feeling as her eyes rove out across the water at the huge lit reflection on the other side. It is fairly new, after all. She notes that Simon, River, and Richard all follow her gaze. Jack even seems to catch where she's looking. 

The Doctor says, "Oh, it's got to be huge. To control all that plastic, it must be. But how do you hide a transmitter that size in a city so small? It would be – round. A massive metal circular structure like a dish, like a wheel, radial, close to where we're standing, somewhere slap bang in the middle of London."

Richard looks over at him with an expression along the lines of 'dense, very dense', and then he raises his face up so that the white lit circle reflects in his sunglasses. He motioned with his chin, "Rose, what is that?"

"That? The London Eye, we call it. Built for the millennium celebrations." She cocks her eyebrow, "You don't suppose that the Nestene is behind us building it, do you?"

"What?" The Doctor looks around. River steps over to him and points. "Wha--? Oh." He then smiles. "Yes, I do think that might be it. You lot are Fantastic." That lifts Rose's spirits right up. "Come on then, We've got a planet and a boyfriend to save."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zoë and her husband were on their way to carry out Mal's orders. Now this normally wouldn't be a problem except for the tiny fact that Zoë knew something was off and felt the need to voice it, "I know something ain't right."

Her husband, witty as he was, did his usual thing and made a joke out of it, "Sweetie, we're crooks. If everything were right, we'd be in jail."

This was perfectly true, as things went. But it wasn't just that, "It's just that the Captain's so tense..."

"The man needs a break. In fact, we could all use a couple days' leave."

Another thing that was true, but she always put business before pleasure; "We still gotta drop the goods."

The reddish blonde head in front of her nodded, "And when we do, we fly off to Boros rich and prosperous. Well, less poor. But with enough to find some sweet little getaway."

The bridge opens up as they step into the space, but maybe that is because he turns and envelopes her in his arms. Thinking of that she lets her mind settle on something that is always a luxury in space, "Oh, wouldn't mind a real bath..."

"Yeah, and a meal that included some sort of food."

She kisses him over the thought, "Ooh."

"Just a couple of days lying around, you with the bathing. Me with the watching you bathe." She moves in closer molding herself to him. They kiss again.

"I'd love that. But, honey – Let me talk to Mal."

"You gonna ask or tell?"

She pulls back, "Let's see what Boros looks like, huh? If it's not dangerous then I'll tell, alright?"

He's not fully happy with that, but his wife has a point. If Mal's enemies are afoot then the plan is a bad one no matter how much they both want it. He sighs, at least she's taking his side this time. 

"Has the Ambassador checked in yet?" comes Mal's voice from the hall.

Zoë goes from leaning to an upright, near military stance in an instant. Wash settles into his chair, "Naw, I think she had a pretty full docket."

Mal nods to Wash then turns to Zoë, "Well, after you talk to Badger, let her know we may be leaving Persephone in a hurry."

"Inara knows our timetable. I'm sure she'll be checking in soon."

The pilot adds, "Well, I can tell her to cut it short, meet us at the docks."

Mal shakes his head, "No, no." No matter how he feels about her line of work he's not going to ruin her business, "Don't want to get in her way if we don't have to." He heads back out, "Somebody on this boat has to make an honest living."

Zoë gives her husband a long look. Wash sighs.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They have a long walk, down the Thames and across the bridge, the six of them. For once Rose feels like she is part of something huge, so much bigger than herself. She ends up part of a chain of hands, with the bronze skinned man in the lead, followed by the Doctor, and then herself and River and Jack and finally Simon. She could laugh with the joy of it, even though she knows danger lurks under their feet. While she notes that the Doctor's hand is warm, too warm for what she remembers, she holds it tight unwilling to let him go. It's likely kind of strange, a chain of six heading toward the huge Eye, but the people around them seem to look right past them, as if there is not a thing wrong. As they cross the river and head up the road to the gardens where the Eye sits the Doctor says, "Think of it. Plastic, all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…" 

He lets that trail off and Rose quite in spite of herself says, "The breast implants." That makes Simon cringe. Oh, right. He's a medical doctor. Likely he knows how messy that would be. 

"All right, stop grossing out Simon," the ex-ranger scolds, "Here we are. What now?"

"The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath the transmitter," the Time Lord says.

They, then, need a way down. Splitting up they begin to search. Eventually Jack calls "What about down here?"

They all converge on the boy's location and look at the steps leading down to the maintenance area below the Eye proper. River says, "Timorous. Huddled. Disbelief." She blinks, "Mickey is down here."

"Let's go." Richard steps down and opens the door. The air is humid and very warm inside. A faint red glow paints everything shadowed crimson. 

"Looks good to me," the Time Lord ducks inside. He pauses for the rest of them to gather around him in the small chamber, and then he pulls out a modest vial of blue liquid. "River, you are not going to be able to sense these beings." She nods her understanding. "This will destroy it, but I want to attempt to get it to leave first. There are other worlds where it could survive, and I – owe it a chance to decide to go to one of them before wiping it out. Jack, I want you to hold this. But don't use it until I tell you to. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Jack says. 

"Stay in the back, try to keep to the shadows. I'll attempt to reason with it." Then he turns to the door, "Oh and Simon, please help Rose get Mickey out of there. You should be able to slip him away while the Consciousness is focused on me." Simon nods. That set, he opens the door and sets off over a series of catwalks with Richard close behind. Simon looks around and then indicates for he and Rose to follow quietly. She does so. Behind them River and Jack slink into the shadows, unseen and unheard. 

The grime and dingy air here is made worse by the smell of melted plastic, steam and heat. Rose has to focus on Simon to keep from coughing from the fumes. She reaches forward and puts a hand on his arm. He pauses and she points over at Mickey's curled form on a side landing. Just below them the Doctor's voice rises into her ears, "The Nestene Consciousness. That's it inside the vat, Amadak. An ancient, living, plastic creature." 

"I sure hope it listens," the ex-ranger rumbles.

Thete nods. He hopes so too. They grip hands briefly before the Doctor starts down another ladder that takes him to a platform that overlooks the vat. He pulls himself up to his full height and says in rather proper tones, "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract, according to Convention Fifteen of the Shadow Proclamation." While the molten plastic focuses on the Doctor, Simon and Rose head over to Mickey. The Nestene Conscious rumbles something that is vaguely like an affirmative to the Doctor's request. "Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?" It rumbles at him again in a similar manner. 

Rose and Simon reach Mickey who turns to look at her, "Mickey, it's me! It's okay. It's all right," she tells him. "Come on, we're to get you out of here."

Mickey Smith is very scared and rather unwilling to move. "Shush, Rose," he whispers, "That thing down there the liquid, it can talk!" 

She nods to him, "I know. Come on, Mickey." She takes his hand and tugs him to his feet as the Doctor and Richard keep heading to the lower landing. 

"But—it's alien!" He says with wide eyes. Rose nods again, this time Simon begins helping her tug the other man to his feet and up the stairs. 

Below them the Doctor reaches the platform overlooking the vat. The heat is getting to him, with him weakened as he is, but he is determined to do this, "Am I addressing the Consciousness?" The plastic inside the vat rumbles again and forms a blob that can look the Doctor in the eyes. "Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of war, shunt technology. So, may I suggest with the greatest respect that you ... shunt off." Richard rolls his eyes and reaches out to put his hand on the back of the Doctor's neck while the Nestene shakes and rumbles back at him rather in a huff. "Oh, don't give me that. This is an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights." That really sets it off, sending it into a swaying rumble that the Doctor alone can understand. 

But Richard interrupts, "Whoa, wait a second!" The creature goes silent, surprised. "Now I know this is getting off to a bad start, so let's just back up here. There are thousands of other planets that have no intelligent life on them that would suit your needs. Surely we could work together to find you one."

The blob turns to the second form and rumbles at him. "It wants to know where these worlds are," The Doctor translates.

"Well there's Alysum, a dead world, but with plenty of trash and oil deposits but little protein. There's Proxima two, way too warm for human habitation but filled with natural polymers. Lots of native life, alien to humans, but carbon based, which I assume you prefer. I can get you star maps for either one. With your warp technology you can get to these worlds at any time you desire. Proxmia Two you could get to now, it's not that far away." He pulls out the PDA and finds a current star map, which he then projects as a hologram into the air. "See?"

The blob rumbles. "Why?" says the Doctor, "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they are capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please," he begs. "We can work this out, give you a new home, let you rebuild, and exist in peace again." 

Behind the Time Lord and the ex-ranger a flank of mannequins step up, the Nestene rumbles again, "I'm aware that you know who I am. Look, I've got nothing on me that can harm you. Just my sonic screwdriver, see?" He holds it up. "Yes, I blew up the relay to stop you because I didn't know where you were. I needed to talk to you. Yes, you're right. The War had no winners, but my people didn't start it. You know that."

Rose and Simon manage to get Mickey back to the door leading in, high up over the events going on below. "We can't leave them," Rose says.

"We're not. But the fewer people are in there the better our chances are of all making it out, _Mei-gui_." The affection in Simon's reply makes Mickey sputter. Rose's lack of objection makes him sputter too, and Mickey feels more than a little threatened. 

Down below them the mannequins move in and search both the Doctor and Richard, "See, I told you the truth. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not," the Time Lord says as the shop dummies come up with nothing. The Nestene Consciousness rumbles and sways at him, "That's not true! I should know, I was there! I fought in the War! It wasn't my people's fault. There was no way to save your worlds, any of them. But it's not like we didn't try. The weapon used on them was Skaro-based. Even my own people suffered. If anyone is to blame it is the Daleks. Look at me! I'm infected with it right now." 

The dummies step back and the Nestene roars at him, "Why would you think I'm trying to contaminate you? All you have to do is study me and you'll see that I've blocked all the chemical and psychic routes it has to exit from. I'm killing myself and still endeavoring to assist you!" The lump sways looking very angered, rumbling all the while. "But I'm not! I haven't let it go. I'm containing it. It's killing me. Even you can see that." The rumbling continues, and then the Doctor says, "So, Proxmia Two is acceptable? Of course I'd protect your rights to be there. Yes, I'll step back and you can use your shunt warp to leave. Take the mannequins with you, even. I don't the humans here will miss them." He backed up and the dummies allowed he and Richard to go up the metal steps. Above them, River and Jack are already joining Rose, Simon and Mickey. 

Rose answers her phone to discover that her caller is her mother, "Mum?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Of all the parts of her job that Inara was eager to not have to do anymore, this topped her list. Not that it didn't pay well, or that she disliked the act itself, but the after was always awkward, and the clients had stopped flattering her with their constant attempts to acquire her services on a more permanent basis. And really, she shouldn't be thinking about such things while engaged in the act. Only she wasn't engaged, only her training kept her moving just so, guiding with her muscles so that the client never knew the difference. 

It was, after all, an act. One she excelled in, calculations figured out in advance of exactly which 'dance' was the correct one for this individual, how to manipulate the situation into one that would be remembered with fondness and further the goals of the Guild. She as the perfect Companion because her emotions never came into play. They weren't supposed to. That was not her role. Instead she was the mirror that reflected the emotional display of the client. 

The virgin she led into manhood now at the behest of his father was a fast learner, but lacking in endurance that would be gained only with time. She was letting him come to his completion, acting the role of the eager lover, for him and him alone, although she'd done this for many, many others in the past. And then it's done, almost too fast. And she wonders even as she smiles at his need to be told that he'd done well, if she will ever have a real lover that can reach inside and touch her soul. 

It's something she aches for, even as she knows that her role of Companion and spy does not allow for it. She tends to bathing him with the same care that she later serves him tea with. He's relaxed and curious to know about her life. She slips on a robe, and settles down to answer his questions, "Sihnon isn't that different from this planet. More crowded, obviously, and I guess more complicated. The great city itself is... pictures can't capture it. It's like an ocean of light."

"Is that where you studied? To be a Companion?"

She lies smoothly, "I was born there." 

"I can't imagine ever leaving."

Inara smiles at him, "Well, I wanted to see the universe." And besides, she is a creature of space, a fire elemental, and she needs the void much more than she needs earth. She can see the offer coming, again. The attempt to get her to stay, as if he's been so wonderful that her entire life now hinges on his say so. She's not bitter, no. But sometimes she thinks that the act is too good, too perfect. 

He stumbles through the offer and she just smiles at him, looking down so he doesn't see how she really feels about staying here. But unlike others he seems to understand that she won't stay, that he can't cage her. If only he really knew what she was, how close he was to really playing with fire…

Then it's time for this to be over and he's dressed again, "Experience has been more than – it was very good. Thank you." 

She is still in her robe, but ready to be away from here, "The time went too quickly." It's another lie, but one that flatters they young man. Only he's not gracious enough to see it that way.

"Your clock's probably rigged to speed up and cheat us out of our fun." She feels that like a slap. The smile she's been wearing slips. At least he has the decency to feel guilt over the slight. 

She doesn't get a chance to order him out because he leaves quickly. After the door closes she stands there centering herself again, eyes shut, fighting back the rise of flames. She hopes that the Red Guardian will find her soon, before she starts setting things on fire. Time to go back to the ship she's learned to call home. She moves into the cockpit and settles into the pilot's chair, "Serenity, this is Shuttle One, what's your ETA?" Her voice is composed and steady unlike the roaring emotions that she so carefully hides from the world. 

Wash's cheerful voice answers her, "Inara, hey. We're touching down at the Eavesdown docks in about ten minutes."

Relieved she answers, "I'll join you there, thanks."

Wash continues, "Looking forward to it. We missed you out here."

She doesn't answer him directly because he's already logged the coms off, but she does share his feeling, "Yeah. Me too." Inara is tired of the ruse. She's ready to end this all. But the duty she has to her people won't let her just walk away. If the Red Guardian needs her then she will be there when he arrives. She preps and lifts off, leaving being the shining cityscape and joining the traffic until she can slip to the dock and meet _Serenity_. 


	28. Part TwentyEight Redeemed

**A/N: **_Firefly bits here are from "Serenity" Part one, the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM. I've got Jelly Babies for reviews. **;-)**  
Basia Orci, cassikat, OtherMeWriter, Thank you very much.  
I think you might be right. No Mickey. He's a scarred-y cat, anyway. And… It's not in my plans for Rose and Simon to end up as a couple, but I'll leave the door open just in case it happens to run that way. These characters have a mind of their own sometimes._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty-Eight

Redeemed

To simple, to smooth…That's what the ex-ranger thinks. The Nestene isn't going to just leave, is it? But then he does hope so. He's given them well-researched options, and really, Proxmia Two is even better than Sol Three for the Nestene's needs. They are backed up to the exit portal and there's an army of shop dummies between them and the vat. And he has to wonder if Thete could be rid of the parasite, by way of this creature. He knows though that even with the creature being fearful of that possibility, the Time Lord has too much honor to do such a thing. Behind him he hears Rose on her phone, her mother's voice faintly going on about normal things, "Oh, there you are. You can get --" He forces his ears to not listen to the conversation.

Rose is getting the feeling that something very bad is about to happen. She's not sure why, but the plastic people don't look like they are leaving, "Where are you, mum?" After a bit she says, "No. Just go home, just go home right now," then, "Mum? Mum?" Closing the phone she says, "Bloody hung up on me."

"What? What are you doing?" The Doctor calls out to the rumbling vat, "But – We had a deal!" There's more noise, like a gloating roar, "Sure you can, but you will regret it. Don't say that I haven't warned you. Every time you try this you lose. I'm offering you a chance to win for a change, don't just toss that aside!" The army of plastic people advance, and a bolt of energy reaches out from the vat and up into the structure above, "For the love of the 'Verse, listen to reason!" the Time Lord beseeches. He's weakening quickly. The Nestene's psychic power overflowing from the vat, filling the room, surging up into the London Eye, is feeding the parasite, killing him.

Richard steps in between the Doctor and the advancing dummies. "You really don't want to do this. We do have ways of stopping you, of ghosting you. I'm sure it will grieve the Doctor to use them, but I don't give a rip." He holds up the vial of blue liquid he's retrieved from Jack, "This is your last chance. Leave or I'll use this." That works. Even so, he's surprised when it does in fact 'shunt off' with rather a grand light show. 

Different energy surges up, as the Nestene heeds the threat. Rose knows it's taking a major portion the plastic in London. The Doctor is slowly crumpling to his knees, looking very pale but tinged with an intense brownish orange flush. River has stepped up to him and is gripping his wrist, sinking to her knees as he kneels, staying next to him and completely ignoring the events around them. Beside her Simon drops to his knees, placing his hands on the Doctor as well, "What is going on?" Mickey asks. 

Rose looks at him, "It's leaving. Richard and the Doctor found it another world." Then she sees the Doctor and becomes all manner of panicked. "Richard!" He glances at her then at whom she is pointing at. Suddenly watching the invader leave is minor in comparison to what he knows is going on.

The Nestene continues to pump energy into the air, and up into the London Eye, screeching with effort. The amount of raw power buffeting the structure causes the catwalk below them to fall away, dropping the shop dummies with it. "Go!" the Doctor says weakly to them all. Richard turns and helps Simon and River get him to his feet. 

"We're gonna die," groans out Mickey. 

"No, we're not," Rose says determined. Richard motions Jack to go, and shoos Rose out. That's enough to make Mickey flee ahead of her. River and Simon are supporting the Doctor. Jack slams the door closed just as the room behind them implodes. The shock wave sends them all to the ground as the alien technology sends the Nestene and it's plastic invasion forces off into the stars. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Weakly the Doctor laughs, "I finally managed to not end up covered in alien blood, and I'm dying."

"It's the parasite," Simon tells her, "The energy produced by the Shunt technology was similar enough that it strengthened it. But we can correct this, if we work together."

Richard picks the Time Lord up, "Don't you fuckin' dare. You hear me, don't give up." 

River looks around and spots that the TARDIS has moved closer, "This way." She runs off toward the blue box. Simon, Jack and Richard follow.

Rose looks at Mickey, "Come on." She takes his hand and pulls him along behind her. 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

He considered himself to be a modest man, a man of God. Not that it had always been this way, but he'd changed. He'd always had faith. Faith had never been the issue for him. But the nature and focus of that faith had changed and so had he. After being in an abbey for so long he felt nearly giddy to be out among normal folks again. The sights and sounds of Eavesdown Docks were like a tapestry of vivid colors woven together to make up a scene that was multi-cultural, but not quite fully blended into blandness. Here the poor struggled to identify themselves with what made them unique, unlike the rich who attempted to become all the same. 

He passed a food vendor whose sign 'Good DOGS' indicates that he's selling grilled dog meat. This is a normal Chinese thing to do, and no one here raises an eyebrow at it. He gives the vendor a smile as he walks by, one that is rather a capricious grin, reflecting his joyous mood. The well-fed man smiles back at him and offers a small sample of his barbecued meat, which he politely declines as he has no intention of buying any. 

The Shepherd proceed pass the vendor, pauses a moment for some children that are chasing past him after a chicken, and discovers that there's a man in his way, "You going on a trip, grandpa? Need safe passage? We're cheap. We're cheap. We're clean." He points back to a large ship, "_The Brutus_, the best ship in the 'Verse. What's your des, grandpa? We're hitting the outer rings." Book looks that way and rejects the ship on first sight. 

He pulls back, swerves slightly and then tells the man, "I never married." He steps past the hawker with his belongings.

"What?" 

"I'm not a grandpa." The gray clad holy man tells the fellow, as he moves away with his boxes and bags that are actually items to barter, more than his stuff. All he possesses fits into the suitcase he carries in the other hand.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

River reaches Verity and opens the doors. She's hoping that once they get the Doctor inside that the can force the parasite again back into containment. Behind her Simon makes sure Richard gets inside with his armload. Jack waits until Rose tugs Mickey inside then closes the doors. The Time Lord groans. "He's going to need our help," the bronze man says.

River opens a door that Rose hadn't seen before, "Verity says that he needs to be in his room, so she can move him more center. This way." The dark headed girl leads everyone deeper into the ship and up to a door that is settled into a hallway. For Rose this is wonderful. For Mickey this is terrifying. Opening it reveals a clean lined room with a very fluffy looking bed decked out in dark masculine colors. 

Riddick flicks his head and the shades fly off. River catches them out of the air. Richard settles the Doctor on the bed and puts his hand on the man's forehead. Simon and Jack enter and close the door. "He's way too hot again," the ex-ranger says.

Simon points to some chairs that have just appeared, "Jack, please keep Mickey company." The honey haired boy nods. "Rose, I know this is sudden, but we will need your help. The fact that you can feel Verity indicates to me that you have latent psychic power. Please," He indicates the bed where River is kneeling and holding the Doctor's hand.

"Doc, we should inoculate her against the parasite, just in case. He's stable, as long as River is feeding his aura."

Simon nods. "That's an excellent idea, Rich. I've got the chemicals I need to mix up already in my medical kit. I'll need to draw a drop of blood to tailor it to your system, _Mei-gui_." Rose nods and follows him into the next room, which ends up being the bathroom. It has very modern looking clean lines to the fixtures, dark towels, and is very uncluttered. She turns her attention to Simon as he mixes the solution and adds her blood to it before administering the shot. 

Mickey is sitting in shock; ignoring Jack's attempt at snapping him out of it when Rose and Simon come back out. "What do you need me to do?" the blonde asks. She figures that the life threatened should come first, and for now Mickey is safe, if but a bit shell shocked. 

"Take his hand and just relax. Let Verity guide you, Rose. And – don't panic at what you might see. We never quite know what we're stepping into when we do this." 

Rose nodded and climbed up onto the bed opposite River. Richard was up by the headboard, and Simon settled down near the stricken alien's feet. She took the Doctor's hand in her own and slowly relaxed, closing her eyes as the hum of the TARDIS enveloped her mind. They had won, and now she could feel the heat of the hairless smooth hand in her own. She could almost believe that his was a human hand, but for the strange tempo flowing through it and the fact that the heat seemed feverish.

The hand in her own was alien, the Doctor's hand. And the TARDIS was alien. For all she knew, River, Simon and Richard were alien too, but she trusted them. This experience, the current sensations, panic aside, was fantastic, and she felt like she'd been waiting for this her entire life. She blinked. There was a woman standing before her. "Hello Rose," the woman said, "I am Verity. You have felt me before. I wished that there was more time, but ironically there's so little of it. The parasite is killing both of us, both the Doctor and I, feeding on our connection to one another. All I can do is plea with you that you have a large enough heart to--" 

"Stop," Rose cut her off, "You are the TARDIS, right?" The woman nodded. "Just show me what to do, and I'll do it. He just saved the lives of every human on earth, and I'd gladly give up my own life to repay him."

"Your death would serve nothing, _Mei-gui_. Come, follow me." Verity took Rose by the hand and led her deeper into the Doctor's mind, letting her see the sludge-like energy. The young woman didn't wait. She followed her instincts and flooded the black power with a wash of gold and glitter, pushing it back against a curved wall of crystal, where a flood of water cut off it's escape and the wind caught it and held it. She seized it again as it tried to push up and over, forcing it down into the dying flames until the void captured it and held it weakly. She felt the wind, water, and earth solidify into forms she recognized – Simon, River, and Richard. They four now stood holding hands around the Doctor and Verity. The woman said, "I know how much it grieves you to stay in one place, Thete. But you must. Until we find the others necessary to save you, you must let me go. It's the only way to starve the parasite into submission."

"No. There must be another way. I – need you."

"If you can promise to not travel until we have the doomsday agent weakened again – I'll stay."

The Doctor looked down. "Cutting out my hearts would be easier, Verity. Smashing my hands would be more just. But – I don't want to die." He looked up at her. "Just take us to where we can leave Rose's boyfriend, then find a place where I can – we can – heal. I promise, No hopping through the Vortex until it's safe again to do so. Transfer the controls to River. I'll behave."

The golden Lady hugged her Time Lord; "It's only until this crisis is past, Thete. It's not forever. We can beat this. I know we can." She then turns and touches River.

"I anoint you my protegee, River Tam. I bequeath you right and control of equal standing as it pertains to my TARDIS, while you are in training. Do you accept, Saritha?"

"I do, with honor, Grandfather." Verity kisses River on the forehead. 

The Doctor turned to Simon; "I extend to you, Simon Tam, equal status to your sister, should you desire it. Do you accept, Simeon?" 

He mouthed 'Grandfather?' at his sister and got a nod. "I do, yes. I'm very honored and flattered, Sir."

"Amadak, Rose. I'm going to need you more than ever. I'm so sorry,"

"Stop it," Rose said. "I'm coming with you, no matter where you are going. Even if you stay in one place for a year, I'm sure it will be fantastic. So just stop feeling sorry for yourself."

He stepped up in front of her, "Rose Tyler." He took her hands. "I promise you, it will be the adventure of a lifetime." He grinned that grin that melted her heart, "How can it not be, if I'm there." She laughed. Then she was back on the bed, kneeling and holding his cool hand. She blinked. 

River got up, "Contained for now. Let's move back to the Powell Estates." She moved out of the room. Simon helped Rose back to her feet. 

Mickey sputtered and clung to her as they headed back to the control room.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 

Wash eased _Serenity_ down into an open spot. They could use this location to do many things, open a stall, take on passengers, give tours… well, maybe not the last. Mal'd already said they were taking on passengers here so he expected the non-existent knick-knack sales were out too. He grinned cheekily "Eavesdown docks, Persephone. Touchdown. We have landed."

This set everyone else into a tizzy of activity, with gun grabbing, face washing, mule warm-ups, and chair snatching. Wash joins the others in the cargo bay and gets the mule hooked up to a trailer. Mal opens the ramp, Kaylee at his side, "This shouldn't take long. Put us down for departure in about three hours," she nods and he turns to the pilot, "Grab any supplies we're low on. Fuel her up." Wash gives him the thumbs up. He knows, of course, that he's to shop on the cheap, getting what he can find to substitute where necessary. 

The honey-haired engineer bounds down the ramp to the 'parking meter' entering the required information as she talks, "I'd sure love to find a brand new compression coil for the steamer."

While the captain knows she is telling him that the part is going and that it will need replacing, he can't promise her anything, "And I'd like to be king of all Londinum and wear a shiny hat. Just get us some passengers. Them as can pay, all right?"

"Compression coil busts, we're drifting..." 

Right, the part's in bad shape. He knows they need one, but isn't sure where the money is going to come for it. "Best not bust, then," he says to her, looking very serious. Kaylee knows that now he'll try to get her the part soon, so she lets it go. 

The pilot guides the mule down the ramp as his wife, captain, and the new hired gun start off toward Badger's lair, "Zhu tamin ya min. Zhu yi," he calls as he slows the mule. He gives them a worried look. This sort of thing always makes him worry.

His wonderful, beautiful wife smiles at him, "We will." Its not so much of a broad smile as one might think, but he knows how to see it in her eyes. She's all business right now, and he won't cause her to loose her edge. With a final nod he lets her go, even as the vague nervousness remains.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

River doesn't fiddle as much as the Doctor does with the controls. She pets the console, holding it like she's best friends with it. But no matter, she is able to land it back at the project, in an alleyway within just a five-minute walk. Almost before the ship is settled, Mickey has let go of Rose and is clinging to the exit. Simon gives his sister a raised eyebrow and slides the lever to open the doors. The startled dark skinned man runs out like he's chased by the devil himself. 

Shaking her head, the blonde follows him, pulling out her phone and calling her mum again. She sees Mickey hit the end wall of the alley. "Mum? Yes, I know. I'm about five minutes away. Well… I got a job. Yeah. Don't panic, all right." She hangs up and looks at Mickey again, "Fat lot of good you were."

He looks at her and whimpers. She raises an eyebrow at him and then looks back at the TARDIS. River is standing there. "Do you want to pick up some things from your abode?"

"Just assumin' I'm coming along?" Rose says to her teasingly.

River smiles. "It would be the – most fantastic thing, don't you think? I've heard that we could go anywhere in the 'Verse. Don't you want to?"

Mickey grabs Rose, "Don't. Its alien, a -- thing." 

The dark headed girl glowers at Mickey, "Not an 'it'. She is wondrous, the TADRIS is. Not our fault that _you_ don't see it." She turns her attention to the blonde. "Verity and the Doctor will die without you, Miss Tyler. You saved them, bought them some time, and for that I thank you with all my soul." She doesn't mention how the deaths will shatter her, but the knowledge exists in her eyes all the same.

And _Mei-gui_ sees it, that deep agonized emotion in those expressive dark eyes. She feels bad for teasing. "Oi, _Mei-Mei_," Rose smiles at the girl, "Of course I'll come. I've already decided." River smiles back. "Yeah, I'd like to pick up some stuff. We got time, right?" 

"Yes."

Rose says, "Come on then. I've got some old things you might fit into. And we could look through my jewelry and make up. Hey, do you like fashion tips?" River runs a few steps to catch up with the other young woman as they head back to the Tyler apartment. "What about Mickey?" Hearing his voice he turns to follow them. Simon and Jack follow him, leaving the Doctor and Richard with the ship. They figure that they can help Rose carry back whatever she decides to bring.

"He's not ready for such things. Maybe after he's – grown up a bit? Besides, the TARDIS goes anywhen as well as anywhere." 

"Any when?"

"Yes, it travels in time as well as space."

This makes Rose go quiet for a bit. They reach the front door of her apartment before she says anything else, "Is it always this dangerous?"

"Usually. We do a lot of running."

Laughing, Rose replies, "So, sensible shoes?" 

"Definitely." 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A younger, less traveled, Simon Tam moved with his cargo through Eavesdown Docks. He had no idea that his attempt at looking older and more mature made him stand out in this dive. His fine jacket-less suit and round solars made him look upper crust, which he was, but because this place was so rundown it was like wearing a billboard with a flashing sign. He paused by the Firefly class ship, watching the pretty young woman with her torn paper parasol and her ratty lawn chair and thought about how much he wanted to be on that ship with her before turning away.

Behind him, unobserved, one Lawrence Dobson made a scene and got his credits returned. Kaylee pushes it aside but vows to charge the fellow extra if he comes back. She turns her attention to the older man in gray that is wandering past with his eyes on the ships. Kaylee knows that it's now or never for this one, as he keeps moving, looking for something that can't be defined, "You're gonna come with us," she says with a broad smile.

That makes him pause, slowing but not stopping. He's got a grin too, showing humor, "Excuse me?"

She moves up to him as she talks, "You like ships. You don't seem to be looking at the destinations. What you care about is the ships, and mine's the nicest." She thumbs back to it.

This makes him come to a full stop and he looks _Serenity_ over with a more critical eye, "She don't look like much."

Book can tell that this young lady loves her ship, just by the way she moves when she talks about it, "Well, she'll fool ya'. You ever sail in a Firefly?"

His face lights with genuine warmth, responding to her clear delight at life. "Long before you were crawling," Book tells her. He then looks at the ship again, "Not an aught three, though. Didn't have the extenders, tended to shake."

Kaylee moves closer playfully twirling her sunshade, "So, uh, how come you don't care where you're going?"

" 'Cause how you get there is the worthier part."

The young lady surprises him by actually seeing the clothes he's wearing for what they are, "Are you a missionary?"

The smile that spreads across his face tells her that she's sold him on this ship for passage, "I guess... I'm a Shepherd, from the Southdown Abbey. Book, I'm called Book." He takes her hand with a little shake that almost feels like being hugged. "Been out of the world for a spell. Like to walk it a while, maybe bring the word to them as need it told."

"Well, I'm Kaylee. This is _Serenity_, and she's the smoothest ride from here to Boros for anyone who can pay." Her pretty face falls and she nervously tucks her hair behind her ear, "Can you pay, or... ?"

He leans over like he's sharing a secret with her, "Well, I've got a little cash, and, uh..." One of the smaller boxes from his luggage appears under her nose as he opens it. She definitely seems to think it's a fair trade.

"Ooh, grampa..."

Chuckling, Book teases her, "I never married."

No sooner then did Book board and get settled in did Dobson return. He had done a fast hunt for the Tam scion, not ever thinking that the dandy doctor would risk cryosleep and a ghost run. She saw him as he slunk back to board_ Serenity_ again. "I'm going to have to charge you extra this time." 

He stood and argued with her until they were interrupted by Wash, "I've got a family of six lined up. They should be heading this way in the next few minutes." Dobson added the requested extra amount to the tab and forked over the credits. 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Mickey was on the sofa hugging a pillow when Jackie came through the front door. She could hear Rose in her room, talking a mile a minute about girly stuff. She noticed that the ten-year-old boy and another young man were standing in the hall, holding boxes. "Rose?"

"Yeah, mum?" Rose appeared in the doorway, "Remember I said I got a job? It means doing some traveling. But… I got a cheque here, an advance on my wages, to help with the bills." She pulled out the slip of paper and handed it over.

"Doctor J. Smythe? You're working for a doctor?" Jackie took it and looked at the name first thing before even looking at the amount.

"Yeah. He's not a medical doctor, but a scientist. And we're leaving town tonight, so I gotta get packed up."

The other girl in the room was folding some clothes that Rose had settled on the bed into a case. "Did you check references? Is he for real? Did you see his credentials?"

Rose paused, "Mum. He works for UNIT, all right. It's an international thing, connected to the United Nations. We've been 'checking credentials' all day. This is River, one of my co-workers. And that's Simon, her brother. And the boy is Jack – Smythe. The Doctor's son. Ok?" She turned and plopped her makeup case into a box, "I'll call you. Everyday. But I need to do this."

"Unit?"

"The shop going up was some government involved thing, terrorists they think, and we're going to check out other sites for evidence of it."

The dark haired young woman says, "U. N. I. T. United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. We work behind the scenes, Ms. Tyler, to keep civilians safe. You should be honored that your daughter shows the traits we look for when under pressure." She places the last item in the box and picks it up. "Are we ready?"

Rose looks around, the room still has a great many things in it and over half her clothes are still here, but they are dressy things that she is sure will not serve her well. "Yeah." She kisses her mum and steps around her. "Lets go." Jackie looks at the amount of the draft and blinks, stunned. Behind her Simon and Jack pick up their boxes and follow. 

"But – Rose!" Mickey jumps up from the sofa and follows them out the door, down the steps, and across the project, "You can't--"

"Yes, I can. Mickey, I need to do this. Otherwise what do I have? No Job, no education, no future… Really, Mickey. I don't want to spend my life working as a food server or at the butcher's bagging groceries. Not when I can be so much more." 

"But – what about us?"

They reached the alley and the others step inside. She turns and looks at him, "Get a grip, Mickey. Grow up a little. I'll call you. If you want there to still be an 'us' next time I'm in town then we'll see. Until then, Thanks."

Confused he says, "Thanks for what?"

She sighs, "Exactly." Rose leans over and kisses his cheek. He still doesn't get it. She gives him a sad look and steps up to the TARDIS. Inside she sees the Doctor is standing in the far doorway. A huge smile lights her face at seeing him upright again. Without a second thought she slips inside and Simon closes the door.


	29. Part TwentyNine Persephone

**A/N: **_Firefly bits here are from "Serenity" Part one, the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM. Any remaining scenes recycled from "Rose" still belong to the BBC, even if I completely change them around. Ryu-widfree, thanks for the 'favorite story' listing. Ohhh… Jelly Babies for reviews. **;-)**  
Delphine Pryde, Thank you.  
My Reflection, actually, there's plenty of room. Serenity has one private 'crew' room that is not being used toward the front of the ship, and six passenger rooms per level with a seventh set between the levels in the back, for a total of thirteen 'passenger' cabins in the 'dorm' area. So… Dobson takes one. Book takes another, and Simon and River take two. If you watch the show you can see how there are some rooms up above the others, but even if not there would be enough room for Jack, Rose, Richard and the Doctor with space left over, if they doubled up. But they don't need to.  
Cassikat, that cheque likely came from UNIT too. The Doctor did get paid while he worked for them, his credentials are still valid, so why not use them, right? It's got to be good for something, why not for avoiding Jackie's 'Slap of Doom'? Of course, in 'Rose' she was only supposed to be gone overnight and ended up being gone for year. In this case she'll be gone for a year and she'll actually live that year.  
And… This chapter starts with a bit of 'what happened when the Doctor and Richard are alone in the TARDIS' (wiggles eyebrows) inspired by the fact that someone has to step in and take over for Verity inside the Doctor's mind and Richard is a possessive snot. There's a hint of Doctor2/Jamie here as well._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Twenty-Nine

Persephone

The first thing he was aware of was that he was – not – in close contact with his ship, the TARDIS, Verity. Thete almost weeps. The temptation is certainly there. Nearly a thousand years he's had her in his head, closer than anyone else, and now… She's with River. He can still feel her, mind. Just not that closely. Certainly it's different, vastly so than it's been for the last six lifetimes at least. "Thete?" It's Amadak, sounding concerned and slightly scared. He turns away from the bronze skinned man, clutching his pillows. He can smell the scents of Rose and River on them as he pulls the smooth cushions up to his face. All he can think of his how distant she feels to him now, like the touch of her will never be as deep as before. "Don't do this Thete." He's a _companion_ on his own ship. The agony is unbearable. "Look, she warned us – _me_ – you might act this way, and I promised her to do whatever was necessary. Come on, look at me."

He doesn't want to look at the dark eyes with their silver fire in the depths, or the even bronze complexion that makes it hard to breathe. He doesn't want the scent of his Amadak in his nose to tempt him if the man is just going to make light of the situation and tease him. He'd rather sulk than be faced with the desire he has and have it go unfulfilled again, "Go away."

Richard pried the cushions out of his hands, forced him flat on his back, and pinned him down. "No. Thete. Look at me." Those blue eyes meet his mirrored brown ones. They were so filled with pain that it broke the con's resolve to keep this relationship out of the physical. "I know it hurts. It's not permanent. Let me help."

"You wouldn't before."

"Bullshit. It wasn't what you needed. I'm not sure it is what you need now."

Thete twisted and managed to roll out from under the broader man, getting to his feet and swaying, "I think I'm old enough to tell what I need without you deciding for me. Now, go."

Richard sighed, "You can barely stand. Contumacious ass. How about this, let me run you a bath and get you some clean clothes. Then we'll see what happens."

"Why?"

"Because I want to? Thete," Richard gets up from the bed, comes around in front of the unsteady Time Lord, and puts his hands on the man's waist; "we won. We were successful in saving Earth and the Nestene both. This is a good day, yeah? A good win?" The expression he gets is hollow, pained. He moves in close and catches the man's lips. "Let me do this for you, huh?" The grip he feels on the fabric of his shirt is desperate. "Come on, let's get the coat off." It takes some work but he manages to get the leather off, followed by the jumper and undershirt. Then about halfway to the bathroom he coaxes off the shoes and gets the black jeans open. Of course, this is accomplished with lots of light kisses and gentle tugging. 

Once in the bathroom he sits the Doctor down and gets the water running. Verity has lowered the lights to a soft glow and provided a very soothing, romantic bath oil fragrance. While the water is just slightly cooler than Richard would like, it's perfect for Thete, not too hot, which is good for him. And just because the Time Lord decides to be headstrong, Richard strips down and then works the rest of the Doctor's clothes off before pulling him into the sunken tub. "I can wash myself," the pale man says.

"Um, but think of how much more fun you'll have washing me instead. Come on; stop being such a jerk about this. You'd think you were five not nearly thirteen hundred. Besides, how are you ever going to convince me that you do know better if you act like a little obstinate shit?" 

Thete raises an eyebrow, "Are you saying you want me to seduce you, Amadak?"

The ex-ranger snickers, "I don't know, Old Man. You still got it in you?"

That sounds like a challenge if he ever heard one. Thete picks up the flannel and moves over to the broader man, "Oh, I think we can find ways to figure that out." The washing happens with slow deliberation, and Richard discovers that the Time Lord has him a quite a disadvantage. The Doctor is able to peel away his mental and physical defenses layer by layer, leaving him feeling needy and raw, and that's using a flannel and soap. He's very careful to keep the touches along the lines of 'proper' by forcing the small cloth he is using to remain between his hand and the darker man's skin. But, oh… that hardly matters. Thete's had time to prefect his method, and could likely melt a heart made of ice and seduce the most prudish of souls into wanton disregard of any morals they might possess. And Richard is neither made of ice or a prude. By the time the older, more experienced man has lavished attention on the last spots of bronze skin _– and who knew that he could feel that sort of tingle from having his spine touched?_ – Richard was about to fly out of his skin from that alone. All it would take was one caress that his mind could call sexual to do it. And he wants the Time Lord so badly. 

Then the blue-eyed man smirks at him and offers him the tools necessary to get revenge – wash him – in return. The ex-ranger almost just forgoes the washing in favor of pushing the taunting alien up against the edge of the tub and showing him exactly how badly he desires him. But… that's too much like being in slam, too much like a one-off fuck, and that's not what he wants. Instead he forces himself to lather up the flannel and to slowly, attentively, wash the pale skin, pausing to rinse and kiss as he goes. He can't, no matter how he tries, keep the decorum that the Doctor could. And he can feel with each press of his lips to that cooler flesh the growing tautness of their bond. He lets his mental walls fall. It's hard enough to hold back his physical desires without struggling against his mental ones too. But he finds that it's not complete, even as their minds slide against each other, mingling, merging. It's not adequate to sooth the desire. It barely tempers the need. 

He focuses on the physical. Thete knows he craves, the flare of desire is mirrored inside his own soul. Amadak slides his face, cheek, lips, temple, nose even, against the smooth, soft skin of the Time Lord's back. The other man turns in the tepid water as Richard plants open-mouthed kisses along his shoulder. It's extremely addictive; this lightly sweetened musk that rises off the cool skin. It's not overly long before he feels those strong hands on his sides, urging him closer. He wants to submerge himself in it, in the scent and taste and feel of this being he's with. The flannel floats away, forgotten, as their mouths connect. The Doctor's cooler lips control the kiss, deepening it, demanding, dominating. Showing what he wants. It's like an explosion, this contact, and Richard is hard pressed to remember which body is his, which one he's controlling, because he's inside both, entwined at a level deeper than he can ever remember being with anyone. Yet… it's natural, like it's meant to be. And he remembers the bond forged in his mind, his soul. He flows with it. Timeless. Open. One, yet _three_. 

It's not _sex_, not a fuck, but it is passionate, this joining. He feels Verity there, on the edge of awareness, just enough to stabilize the grounding effect he has when there's skin on skin contact. So there's no romantic candles, no special set up, none of the trappings, and now that they are interconnected on this deep level Richard wonders why that was important to him. Being with another of his ilk makes all other erotic instances pale in comparison. He never knew what he was missing because he didn't remember it, and when he finds out who was behind him losing this he's going to cause them pain because he can't conceive ever willingly giving this up. 

After exiting the tub they somehow manage to make it back to the bed before driving each other to the point of bliss. And really, with the explosive built up energy between them, it's amazing that they manage to make it that far. Richard opens his eyes and finds that he's entangled with Thete, a mass of arms and legs, sprawled over the pillows and comforter on the bed. He shifts and elicits a moan from the pale throat exposed because the Doctor is rather on top of him, with his head in an odd position. He kisses the smooth expanse and then impulsively nibbles at it as his hands slide over the cool body shamelessly following the planes and angles of it. "Ah, do you have any idea—"

Richard curls his hand over part of the Time Lord's anatomy that cuts off the words with a gasp. "Don't. Talking is bad, unless you're going to beg me for more," he whispers into the pale ear before he sets his teeth on it. He feels Thete's hands slide over his sides, settling against his hips. _More, Amadak. Give me more_. The mental brush tugs at the bond, even as Richard moves to grant the command. "Don't blame me if you can barely walk when this is over." His response is a movement that assists and leaves no doubt as to what Thete will let him do. Amadak doesn't even think of holding back. Why even try when they can fly together beyond anything else he's ever experienced?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They hear the others returning. Just three sets of footsteps. Is Rose not coming? This makes the Doctor move into the control room. He's redressed, sans jacket, in a very soft long sleeve black jumper and black slacks. Richard peers out behind him, once again in his tank and cargo pants, lightly settling a hand on the other man's back. The door is open, and Rose's voice drifts from the alleyway, "—until then, Thanks."

Her boyfriend says, "Thanks for what?"

There's a pause, then she responds, "Exactly." Her blonde form appears in the doorway as she backs up, a bag in one hand. It looks like she's coming with them. The relief and joy at the sight of her rolls off the Doctor in waves, and frankly Richard can't help but to feel it too. Thete leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, hands half hidden in the sleeves of his shirt. Rose turns and sees him. The smile on her face lights up the entire chamber.

"Well, come on, then," the Doctor says to her. She steps into the TARDIS and the door closed behind her. "River, where are we off too?"

"That is for Verity to decide. She says there's another that can help you, and a place where we, all of us, would be welcome. I was going to just go with that. Is that alright?" 

She gets a grin, "Of course. Knowing some details about the when will help us know what to pack. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but I do believe that we've all decided that not traveling by phone box for a while will do me good."

"2517, Blue Sun. Our time," River sounds surprised. 

"Ah, but a good time, Saritha. Verity, we'll need Alliance credits and an established set of identities." Thete knows that this will be more difficult because of the long term nature of them being there, "Perhaps as a family? Simon and River need the cover if you plan on plopping them right back where they were fleeing from." 

Of course this is a good idea, and Verity, while they are in the Vortex, lays the groundwork for the Smythe family, Doctor Jon Smythe and his children, Jacob, Saritha, and Simeon, his lover/spouse, Richard, and their friend/employee/mistress Rose. She'll let them handle the details as they desire. She then fixes the genetic readings to reflect the relationships and discovers that there's very little to alter with them, even Jack. Now she knows the child will be changed by being in the Doctor's biosphere, but to find key genes that are so similar so soon, well… that's strange. And for some reason it makes her sad. The only other time the Doctor had a companion like Richard was when he was with Jamie, and that was tragic.

Very tragic. 

So who is Jack? She tries to trace back his timeline and comes up against a fractured wall, the product of the Time War. Why? Why is that there? Who has altered the boy's timeline? She's tempted to poke at the pieces to see what surfaces, but there's nothing that will prevent very bad repercussions to that action, so she leaves it alone. But she can't forget it. And she can't shake the feeling that the boy is connected with her Time Lord on a deeper level than anyone suspects. If only she could find proof of it. Verity is positive that the knowledge of something surviving the impossible cruelty of his time in captivity by the CIA would go a long way toward making him happy again. 

She knows Thete's memories of that time are a knot inside his mind, filled with secrets, impossibilities, pain, and paradoxes. Eight hundred years she's left that alone. So long that he's forgotten it, but for a dull ache that he calls 'missing Jamie' but she knows it is deeper than that. He kept secrets from even her, during that lifetime because that was his nature. The face of a clown but the soul of a master manipulator. Things happened between he and his companion outside her walls that never transpired where she would know. Out of her sight, locked into his own mind, as if he knew that being caught doing what he was doing would cost him. He kept his heart closed to her, treating her as a friend, not a lover. And it did; she had a feeling that it cost him more than she would ever know.

It was only the next lifetime, when they were in exile that she became that close to him, taking the role of emotional and physical support to another level. And while he loved his human companions after that, he never let them get so close as to breach his emotional walls. Sarah Jane might have had a chance with him for a lasting relationship, and he would have willingly changed her to keep her with him, had it not been for the harsh lessons of his previous life. The pain of Jamie's loss stayed with him far longer than she expected it to. Only after Grace did he start to live again, and she suspected that it took him six lifetimes to finally forget the sharp edges of the pain, if not the agony itself.

Not to say that he didn't become involved with his own kind. There was Romana in both her forms, and she accepted what he would give, forming a set of ties with him that served as a safety net, but neither of them actually looked at the other as a lover. They were friends, allies, teacher and student, companions, yet both held their emotions in check and never crossed that 'forbidden' line. And there was Ace, whose bloodlines had been manipulated by another immortal through the ages. Her heart had been large enough and wild enough to make him love her, but again the line was never crossed, not that Verity would have been surprised if it had. 

She looks again at the connections formed between Thete and Amadak. So strong, so enduring. Even with half or more of his identity ripped away, Richard maintains his Gallifreyan forged bond. It is beautiful to see it so strong. But as she follows it she encounters that jagged area of the Doctor's mind where his memories of the CIA are knotted up. Verity skirts past it, slipping down to follow the bond to its root, and just as Thete closes her out with a rebuke, she spots the tattered evidence of a previous bond, ripped and worn, alongside the formal wedding ties he had with Patience cut off neatly by her death. And she knows one of the reasons he was punished. He dared form a bond with a human and kept it secret. No wonder he's felt such great pain. 

Now she wonders what happened during the time he was kept from her on Gallifrey before they were allowed to travel doing the CIA's bidding. All she knows for sure is that it aged him terribly, as if part of his soul was ripped away. She remembers how he hurt inside, even as he hid that pain from the restored Jamie. Their relationship was not the same after that parting, Verity knew. She'd chalked it up to Thete knowing that it was borrowed time, but what if … what if it had to do with the human genes from the fifty-first century that he'd gotten from his mother? 

Surely the CIA hadn't been that cruel. But—what if they had?

As they pack to leave her, she tries to show her Time Lord the green-eyed boy's shattered past. Twice he brushes her aside, angered at her prodding into sensitive areas of his mind. But the third time he sees what she's trying to show him before he can push her away and it makes him freeze. He looks at Jack. The pain in his eyes raw again as the suspicion she has lodges in his mind. Pain and hope. _Could it be? But who would have helped him_? He had no memories of it, of any kindness during that time. But he was sure now that his role for the CIA was not for his own time's CIA but the Time War's incarnation. If thus, then he did have allies and it was possible that they tried to spare – no, he couldn't hang his happiness on false hopes after so long. Surely someone would have told him ages before this if it had been possible. 

Unless they did it specifically so that he'd have something after the war. Which would mean someone knew he'd survive. He suspects Romana, instantly. Her connections with The Pythia and Kern through Leela and Andred meant she might have known. Her position of power meant she might have reached back or pulled him forward through time, and he'd never know. Unless she'd left behind something for him to unravel. He sways with the sudden grasp of something that he'd never understood before. He'd been manipulated into being the one at the apex of the blast, the last to go, the one destined to survive because all the power of the Time Lords washed back to him even as the backlash tried to destroy him. And Romana knew. 

Verity follows the twisted reasoning in his mind, trying to see what secret he still holds so tightly that he refuses to shine any light on it. What happened? What was he trying to protect? And why did he think Romana would help him? She wants to beg him to tell her, but it's far easier for him to ignore her now that the Imprimaturs in River and Simon are active. She's going to have to work through Rose and River then, if she wants to learn the truth. 

Richard suddenly is at his elbow, "Doctor?" He looks up and sees that that River and Rose are looking at him with identical slightly fearful expressions. Shaken he gives then a grin, a real one that reaches his eyes. He made a gamble by taking Romana into his confidence and molding her into his image and it seemed that perhaps that risk had paid off. 

"I'm – ok. Really, Richard. I just realized something, is all." He opens his mind to Verity again, allowing her back into the tangles that are still sore and raw even after centuries. Verity knows he needs this, he needs the truth. And she knows the evidence she needs to safely give him that truth sits in the tangled knots of his memories. But they will have time to find the answers and deal with the pain. 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

There always was something about Badger she didn't like. It went beyond his bad location, his thugs, and his sweltering noisy office. It even went beyond his trade of humans. She felt sorry for the young woman he was currently manhandling, not that it showed. She heard him finally pronounce, "Yes," before the woman was dragged back through the other passage, apparently meeting some standard or another for whatever use he had for her. Zoë tuned out the traffic noise and the periodic lights from the vehicles passing overhead as she brought her military training to bare. She watched the thug sit at his oversized thrice recycled desk and proclaim, "You're late." 

Now Mal's not the best of diplomats, not when dealing with those he considers to be the enemy. Badger sits right on that line, unfortunately, "You're lying."

Zoë wants to punch her captain right about now, and it's only her respect for him as a friend that keeps her from doing so at this moment. She can tell that they've lost the deal, and that every cross word hurts them worse. Badger narrow his eyes, "What did you just say to me?"

"You're well aware we landed two hours 'fore we planned to, with all the goods you sent us after intact, ready to roll." Mal starts, "So your decision to get tetchy, say we're late, means you're looking to put us on the defensive right up front. Which means something's gone wrong. It didn't go wrong on our end, so why don't we start again with you tellin' us what's up?" 

Badger changes his tune slightly, having been out-thought and not directly insulted. Instead he gives Mal the most malevolent tight smile Zoe's ever seen; "You're later than I'd like."

"Well," Mal looks thoughtful, and for him that means he's figured it out and now needs to know why, "I am sorry to hear that."

Its at this point that Badger holds up the official 'all-points' webcast showing a constant stream of headlines and data from across Blue Sun. He wiggles it, "_If_ you'd gotten here sooner, you might've beaten the bulletin that came up sayin' a rogue vessel, classification 'Firefly', was spotted pulling illegal salvage on a derelict transport." He puts the very expensive item back on the desk. 

"Didn't ID us. Doesn't lead to you," Mal says.

The crook tilts his head, "No, it doesn't." Then he gets up and moves closer, looking angered, "But a government stamp on every molecule of the cargo just maybe might." This makes Zoë start and look over at Mal. About five different colorful expletives fight for attention in her brain. She knew there was something wrong with the payload. Mal's face tightens ever so slightly and Badger picks up on it, "Oh, you noticed that. You were gonna hand over imprinted goods and just let me twist, is that the case?"

"We didn't pick the cargo."

Badger snaps back, "And I didn't flash my ass at the gorram law. There's no deal."

Normally she'd keep her mouth shut, really she would, but this asshole really makes her mad, and when she's mad she tends to be vocal about it, "That ain't fair."

The small man looks over at her, "Crime and politics, _little girl_: the situation is always... fluid."

She glares, and Jayne, motivated by something other than brains, jumps to insults, "Only fluid I see here is the puddle of piss refusing to pay us our wage." The reaction is immediately 'pissed off and armed' and of course both she and Jayne automatically go for their guns as well. Jayne actually half draws, while she just puts her hand on the handle. Mal fixes Jayne with his, 'put it away or I'll run you through the airlock' look until the gun-for-hire actually does re-holster the weapon. 

That accomplished and the thugs back to 'at the ready but not yet shooting', Mal steps toward Badger and smiles, "It doesn't have to go this way. You know you can still unload those goods. So I can't help thinking there's something else at work here."

It would seem that Mal is right by the speech that Badger treats them to, "What were you in the war, that big war you failed to win? You were a Sergeant, yeah? Sergeant Malcolm Reynolds, Balls and Bayonets Brigade. Big tough veteran. Now you got yourself a ship and you're a captain. Only – I think you're still a Sergeant, see. Still a soldier, man of_ honor_ in a den of thieves." Zoë swallows as the crook manages to get in Mal's face, and seeing as Mal is taller that's quite a feat, "Well this is my gorram den, and I don't like the way you look down on me. I'm above you. Better than. I'm a businessman, see? Roots in the community. You? You're just a scavenger."

So this is about status, standing, and pecking order. For some reason Badger feels threatened by Mal. Maybe it's because Mal does get the job done when there's a job to be had. Maybe it's because Badger is scum. Or maybe it's because he's just chicken-shit. Either way, they still have a hold filled with cargo that they have to get rid of. Mal tries to flatter Badger, "Well, maybe I'm not a fancy gentleman like you with your... very fine hat... but I do business. We're here for business."

But the small time crime boss is finished with this, "Try one of the border planets – they're a lot more desperate there. Of course, they might kill you, but you stay here and I just know the Alliance'll track you down. I have that feeling."

So that's how he's gonna play it, if they don't scat fast he'll tip off the port police and Mal'll lose the ship. Fine. Even as Jayne would rather kill them all, Mal decides to find some other buyer. He turns to leave, "Wheel never stops turning, Badger." He'll get even, eventually. 

"That only matters to the people on the rim," says the crook, not realizing that Mal will get revenge for this.


	30. Part Thirty Serenity

**A/N: **_Firefly bits here are from "Serenity" Part one, the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM. Any remaining scenes recycled from "Rose" still belong to the BBC, even if I completely change them around. Thanks to Kia Dion for the 'favorite story' / 'favorite author'/ 'story alert' listing.  
Kia Dion, Thank you for the kind words and the review. I'm happy you like. Obsessive is good, yeah? Feel free to review as the mood strikes you.  
OtherMeWriter, Yeah, this is not an M rated fic so I'm trying to be tactful. Plus I wanted to focus on the emotional experience they were having alongside enough physical stuff to kinda give enough of the picture to spark the imagination.  
mirth513, Hey I read that crossover! It was wonderful. Yeah, everyone go Read "Man With No Name" and leave fireflye a review. Yep, the Doctor's been err—chosen? Well, he had to live, and there were just too much of the 'Verse relyin' on his being there for Romana to leave it to chance. She might have been thinking that it was a way to pay him back for his saving them all against Faction Paradox. Or she might have known about the Red Guardian. Or she just might have loved him enough to give up everything else for him.  
Huggabledog, to be revealed in this one – or the next. A Good Video of this ship is: _Doctor Who - All About Us (Two/Jamie) by Clarrisani _(I'll post the link in the forum.) Actually watching the interaction between the 2nd Doctor and Jamie it's very easy for me to see a relationship there. Jamie loved the funny old coot, and it showed. He might not have understood everything the odd fellow said, but he'd lay his life on the line for him. If the Doctor told him that things would work out for the best then in most cases he believed it. They did a great deal of bantering and jested off of each other's personalities. They were very playful with each other. In the end, I think it hurt the Doctor more that Jamie had his memories wiped than the fact that he was forced to regenerate. They very much could have been quite close. Was it physical? Who really knows. I believe that it could have been, even if it might have confused those around them. An attraction of opposites, really. Jamie was the only companion to be with an incarnation of the Doctor from practically start to finish, non-stop, with the exception of Rose/9.  
Here are the Jelly Babies. _

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Thirty

Serenity

River guided the TARDIS to a perfect spot, near where folks would expect cargo to be sitting, and they grabbed their respective bits of luggage. She thought back to the morning, as the door opened to reveal the early bustle of activity in the Bazaar around them. Saritha was sure that she and Simeon would not be connected with River and Simon Tam now. Not with the way they looked and the family that surrounded them. They were Smythe now, along with their little brother Jacob, and their 'parents' Jon and Richard. Her best mate, Rose, looked like she might have been adopted in, accepted as one of the family, although not officially made a Smythe. And that was ok. 

In an effort to blend in Simon was forced to dress in layered shirts, cargo pants, and combat boots. Rose found the look to be funky and fun, and eagerly adopted it herself with the addition of a hoodie. While River preferred a skirt, Rose convinced her that cargo pants, makeup, and a multi-colored hairpiece would make her look older and different from what people might be expecting, and to prove it she made herself up in a similar fashion. They could pass for sisters. The upswept hair with dangling beaded braids they wore certainly was enough to draw attention away from their faces. And to make them look even more different from the expected images River drew a series of Chinese symbols down both her own and Rose's left cheek, as was the fashion here. Rose thought it looked rather cool. 

Meanwhile, Simon was given a choice, messy like Jack or shaved. He chose messy. It made him look younger, but seeing as that was the idea, to pass himself off as River's twin, he supposed it worked. Jack, of course, loved this, because the older trio was adopting variations of his 'style' and really there's nothing more flattering than having one's entire family dressing like you. To prove that point, even Richard and the Doctor wore similar, although the Time Lord wasn't overly sure about the cargo style twill slacks at first. After a bit of dickering it was decided that loose jeans were fine, only for the Doctor to try on the cargo pants anyhow and pronounce them suitable. His normal jumpers and leather was good enough with the addition of a collared shirt and the use of the heavier boots. Richard chose to flatter Jack by copying his style in a darker palette of colors, because it gave him plenty of areas to store his knives. 

Then they found the Time Lord giving them each a wallet, a thin fold over deal, with decent amounts of colorful bills, (but seeing as the wallets were like his pockets the bills were far more than they looked to be), new Alliance ID cards, and scattered coins / tokens / assorted bits just to make them look used. "Now, I know I'm supposed to be the one in charge here, which is why I have the credit card," the Doctor showed them the very official looking, snazzy piece of plastic. "Richard's got one too. Each of you has enough cash to get yourselves into or out of trouble, so don't go showin' it off." He looked at the universal chrono he was wearing, a square silver thing; "It's early still, so we have some time. I'm not sure what we're looking for here."

"Where is 'here'?" Rose asked.

"Eavesdown Docks, Persephone, Mid-'march' universal time. Closer to early summer, local time. Blue Sun colonies, human habitation. Controlled by a powerful authoritarian government, called the "Union of Allied Planets", or various slang terms using the word purple, because of their uniforms. We have no outright quarrel with them, aside from what they've done to Saritha, but it is best to avoid them as much as possible," The Doctor informs her.

"No – aliens – then?"

"Nope. Figured you'd had enough of them with the Nestene, I think, Verity did. Besides, this time and place is rather easier to get lost in, and to blend in with."

"This is good." Rose actually is relieved to not deal with any alien threats, thank you. 

"Um," Richard mumbled, "Tempted to put you all on a leash to keep you from wandering off."

"We won't, honest." Jack said with a grin that promised trouble. 

"Watches?" The Doctor hands them out, "A bit more than the normal watch. Universal chrono, keeps track of time, date, all that jazz, and local too. Plus you can use it to keep in contact with each other, like Rose's phone, which is worthless here as a phone but priceless as a 'Earth-that-was' artifact. Don't go flashing it around."

"I promised my mum to call her, every day," Rose frowned.

"Oh, well. Give it here." After a moment of fiddling with it with the sonic screwdriver he handed it back, "There, all hooked up to let you contact your mother across time and space. Tell her I'm paying for the new phone plan, will you?" Rose looked at the phone which indicated London time in the upper corner and smiled. It was way too early to call yet. "All right there?" She nodded and smiled at him. "Try to use the names on the ID cards?"

"Does this mean we call you 'dad'?" Jack says looking up from his wallet that proclaims him to be 'Jacob Smythe', "And are – does it include both of you? I mean, are you both – 'dad?'"

"Sure, if you're comfortable with that," The Doctor leaned back against the pillar closest to him. 

Richard looked up from his card with a raised eyebrow and pulled down his solars to stare at the pale man with surprise. He doesn't notice Rose's gasp at the sheen that flashes in the pits of his eyes, "What?"

"Will you be my dad, Riddick?" Jack asks him, "I mean, is that ok?"

"This include the twins?"

"Simeon and Saritha? Oh, I suppose." 

At that Simon looks up at them. "Wait – what?"

River laughs, "Please, Richard? Say yes." Simon looks at her, blinking. He's just been 'de-aged' back into a sixteen-year-old. Or River's been aged up a few more years. He looks at the card again and notices that it's giving a birth date that is more between. Richard shrugs and puts the shades back up where they go. Jack gives him a huge grin and darts over to hug him. 

"An' me?" Rose said, recovering from the reason of why she hadn't seen Richard's eyes before this. They were extremely unusual. And she wanted to know why they flashed like cat eyes but can't figure out a polite way to ask him. So she forces herself to not stare even as Richard gives an amused expression at her about her inability to actually look away.

The Time Lord moved over to her and looked at the card, "You, Miss Tyler, are whichever you want to be. Friend, employee, take your pick. I'm not going to force you into a relationship line you might not be comfortable with." He drapes an arm over her shoulders, "In any case, you belong with us, and we'll treat you like family." She can't help but to smile at that, matching his goofy grin. They can work out the details as they go just as long as she belongs here.

Simon gets a devious look, "So – dad, are we set then?" Both 'Jon' and Richard look at him. "Or should one of you be 'Father', or papa, or something. I'm not using 'daddy'."

Richard cocks his head; "Papa is fine. Father's a bit formal. More the Doctor's style. If I get angered at you you'll know, because I tell you to see your father."

"Me, formal?" The Doctor said. Everyone ignored him.

"This is good," Simon figures, "We call the Doctor 'Dad' because that gives us cover if we slip, and you, Rich, are 'Papa'. Just remember when we get cuddly that we don't expect a knife to the ribs." The bronze man chucked. Jack beamed up at him. Rich motioned for them all to head out. Saritha reached over and took Rose's hand and tugged her out from under the Doctor's arm. They bounce away like two excited teens, which, really, they are.

"I'm not formal," the Time Lord groused as Simeon, Jacob, and Richard picked up their luggage and headed out to the control room with the ex-ranger pausing to flirt with him on the way out. Seeing that they were leaving, he picked up his own case, caressed his ship, and followed them. Verity laughed in his head at the objection. 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They are away from Badger's and about halfway back to the ship before Jayne gets up enough nerve to question Mal about the happenings behind them, "I don't understand why we didn't leave that sumbitch in a pool of his own blood."

Zoë looks at him then at the captain as he bothers to respond, "We'd be dead. Can't get paid if you're dead." The comment is directed more toward the ground than toward the towering gun-for-hire behind them.

"Can't get paid if you crawl away like a bitty little bug, neither. We gotta share this job. Ten percent of nothing is – let me do the math here – nothing into nothing, carry the—"

She moved to cut Jayne off before his rambling made Mal even madder, "So we'll find a buyer on Boros. There's gotta be a—"

Shaking his head, Mal stops that train of thought before it can get far from the station, "Boros is too big. It's crawling with Alliance; they could just be waiting for us."

Which brings up another worry, "You really think Badger'll sell us out to the Feds?"

"If he hasn't already." She follows Mal's glance to the right and spots the purplebellies standing in the crowd. They go silent until well past and out of earshot.

She says low, "Alliance catches us with government goods, we'll lose the ship."

Mal gives her a wounded expression, "That's never gonna happen."

Zoë wishes she were so sure, "Sir, we could just dump the cargo." It's just an option, one that Mal needs to be made aware of still existing.

"No ruttin' way. We ain't had a job in weeks," Jayne protests, "I didn't sign on with this crew to take in the sights. We need coin." In fact he owes his mother a double payment and if he doesn't get it for her soon he'll have to look for work elsewhere. And he rather likes_ Serenity_. He's got his own room, for starters. 

Mal looks back at the taller brawny man, and rolls his eyes, "Jayne, your mouth is talking. You might wanna look to that."

Jayne's itching for a fight and ready to move on, should Mal give him the excuse, "Oh, I'm ready to stop talkin' –"

A hand comes up, as the captain turns to face them both, stopping, "You're right, though. The last two jobs we had were weak tea. We got nothing saved, takin' on passengers won't help near enough," This deflates Jayne's fight. Mal turns to Zoë, "We don't get paid for this cargo, we won't have enough money to fuel the ship, let alone keep her in repair. She'll be dead in the water."

She scruffs her toe in the dirt for a tick. Sighing, she looks at him, "So we do like Badger said? The border planets?"

"I'm thinkin' -- Whitefall, maybe talk to Patience..."

_No, no._ "Sir, we don't want to deal with Patience again." 

"Why?"

"She _shot_ you."

Mal looks at her and starts walking again, "Well, yeah, she did a bit... still—"

"So we find somebody else. Horowitz."

"He can't afford it."

"Holden boys."

Mal frowns, "They wouldn't touch it. Do you want me to go through the list? Capshaw's are brain-blown. Gruvick's dead—"

That's news to her, "He's dead?"

"Town got hit by Reavers. Burned it right down."

Just the term 'Reavers' is enough to light up Jayne's yellow streak, "I ain't goin' nowhere near Reaver territory. Them people ain't human."

Both Mal and Zoe glance at him, before the captain continues as if he hadn't been interrupted, "Whitefall is the safest and the closest. Been a long time since Patience shot me and that was due to a perfectly legitimate conflict of interest. I got no grudge. She owns half that damn moon now. She can afford what we got and she just might need it."

They've reached the ship and she looks up to see Wash loading a large blue crate, something like six foot square and ten foot tall, covered with a tan tarp, into the ship. Zoë tries to talk Mal out of this course of action, "I still don't think the old lady's the way." The blue wooden box is surrounded with smaller bits of luggage, cases, boxes and bags inside the trailer. She narrows her eyes at the sight as the mule passes her. 

"I'm not sayin' it won't be tricky, but we got no kind of choice." He's watching too, not only the amount of luggage, but also the group waiting on the ramp. There are six of them. The two older men, with closely shaved cuts, are clearly together. A couple, definitely. He doesn't see rings on their fingers but that doesn't mean a thing. The body language gives them away. The darker complexioned man, although a knuckle shorter, is broadly shouldered and certainly seems protective of his brood. The taller fellow gives the impression of someone used to being listened to while not seemingly being the overbearing sort. Their kids consist of three teens, two of which are girls, and a younger boy about ten. And Mal's sure they're a family. He wonders how much the couple paid for their obviously genetic offspring. Then he pushes that aside and figures that the family should pay fairly well for passage. They probably get flack from the nicer transports because of their choices. He has to admit that they make rather easy-on-the-eye children.

The taller of the older men is handing Kaylee a high-level credit card, which means that he's legit and likely middle classed at the least. "Welcome aboard, Mr.— "

"Smythe. Jon Smythe. Doctor," He says with a smile. 

Kaylee is instantly charmed; she giggles back and says, "Jon." She moves to check his credit and post a draft for passage, with a bit of a blush on her cheeks. Too bad the man is clearly sly. She returns the card, "All set for Boros, then." The mule rattles back out down the ramp.

Mal looks at Zoë, "We just gotta keep our heads down, do the job, pray there ain't no more surprises."

As they approach the ramp Wash clatters past again with another load. The crates of supplies block Mal's view for a moment and he doesn't see the other man approach, but he hears Kaylee, "Mr. Dobson! I've got your receipt."

The man says, "Thank you." The trailer moves the rest of the way revealing a funny looking fellow with a strange glint in his eye that Mal dislikes from the get go. Then he spots behind him the bronze complexioned Mr. Smythe herding the two teenaged girls, one blonde and one raven headed toward the luggage that was apparently theirs. Dobson says to the general chaos inside the bay, "Please be careful with that," over some or another bit of his luggage that is sitting in the middle of the isle. 

"Mal, this is Jon. Jon, this is our captain." Kaylee says turning away from Dobson and toward the taller pale gent in his worn leather jacket. 

Mal feels like the man's intense blue eyes are looking right into his shattered soul, "Captain Malcolm Reynolds?" He extends a large graceful hand and Mal surprises himself by shaking hands with the Doctor.

"Welcome aboard. Quite a gaggle you have with you."

"They'll settle down, it's just the novelty of being on an older boat with such charm I think. _Serenity_ is a lovely ship."

Mal beams. Not an outright smile, but one of those shining happy moments that are all over happy in a quiet way. He likes this gent. Then again anyone that can see how wonderful his ship is must be a good soul. "Thank you. Doctor Smythe was it?"

"Yes, Jon is fine. That's Richard. And the children are Simeon, Saritha, Rose, and Jacob." 

Mal nods and looks to Kaylee, "Any others?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Simon had been thrilled to discover that the ship the very nice strawberry blonde fellow worked for was the exact one he'd almost boarded this very morning, only nearly nine months later, personal time. The fact that the Hobbson or Robbson fellow was also there didn't bother he or his sister nearly as much this time as it had the first go. But then, neither of them looked quite like what the man might be looking for. He made a show of being a snotty older brother to Jack, teasing the boy like he had River when they were younger while 'dad' took care of the payment for passage. Jack played right back at him, fully game to keep up the ruse.

River; _Saritha, _he reminded himself; and Rose looked the part of sisters, and no one bothered to call them on it. It was brilliant, really, them dressing the same and putting their hair up the same and wearing the same makeup. It made River look like a different person, and she acted like a normal girl for a change. Not that Simon wasn't paying close attention to her, just in case the pressure of the docks caused her mental walls to fall. Once they were in space the danger of her backsliding would be much diminished. But for now, everything seemed to be ok with his sister and he knew he had Rose to thank for that.

Now that Simon could see auras he knew that the fellow that alarmed him so much had an aura that was as spiky and dark as Johns had been when the marshal had been at his worst. He supposed knowing why he felt the alarm he did made it easier to cope with. The man was not the bumbling businessman he was pretending to be. 

The auras of the others were very soothing though. 

The young woman, Kaylee, was earth, coppery and spring green bubbling with joy. The pilot, Wash, who had guided them back to ship, was more difficult to peg down, as his aura was pale, tones of white, and while it would be easy to assume that he was air, his aura had almost a diamond like quality to it. The woman that was clearly Wash's wife was totally air and full of life. Then there was the very tall fellow named Jayne, who was surprisingly water. He bubbled like rapids. Mal was of a sort that Simon had never seen before, though. He assumed at first that the captain had no aura at all which was impossible. A closer look revealed it was there, nearly invisible, close to his skin. Simon wondered what element that was, because he couldn't make it out. 

He caught sight of another passenger and noticed that he was rather like fire, only banked into a slow ember that unlike Carolyn's aura seemed healthy. Simon turned his attention back to the Doctor and watched his aura foam a bit, looking nice and thick. This was good. Then Richard moved back over and the energy arced from pale to bronze from several feet away. That was new. They brushed hands; just barely catching each other's fingers. Simon smiled at that. 

"So what's the story?" 

Simeon startled and looked at the strange man with his spike filled aura. "Excuse me?"

"I'm Dobson. Heading to Boros with some rare freight. Why are you heading there?"

"I'm with my parents and siblings. Quite frankly, I don't care why you are going to Boros and I have no intention of saying any more to you. Jacob? Have you found your suitcase yet?"

The honey-haired boy turned away from listening to Wash tell a story and shook his head, "Just a moment, I'll be right there." Simeon pulled away from Dobson and walked to where Jack and the pilot were. Best to not be alone around Dobson. He warned River to stay with Rose.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Mal had taken up a location near the stairs leading up into the higher levels of the ship so he could watch the new passengers. No doubt about it, the Dr. and Mr. Smythe were a couple. Very much with eyes for only each other, much like Zoë and Wash. But unlike his best friend and pilot the former pair had learned to be discreet, not quite showing their affection for each other outright where folks might be offended by it. Shame really. His attention is drawn away from them by Zoë's approach. She leans up against the rail and says lightly, "Now we have a boatful of citizens right on top of our... stolen cargo," then she looks at him with a mocking expression, "That's a fun mix."

He rolls his eyes at her then lets himself be drawn back to the family as Jack scampers over to his dads and is greeted with open affection by both men. "Ain't no way in the 'Verse they could find that compartment, even—" he cuts himself off as Dobson walks past their location closer than Mal's comfortable with, "Even if they were lookin' for it."

Ever practical, Zoe follows his eyes and notices how tightly knit a couple the pair of older men seem to be, "Why not?" She's wondering now _why not_ about more than one thing. Like _why not_ have children on this boat, for example. It sure looks like this other couple have managed fine. And then there's the _why not_ can they find that compartment, because they do have kids on this boat and kids can find the most unexpected things.

This makes Mal blink, " 'Cause... ?"

She looks at him, "Oh yeah, this is gonna go great."

Mal decides that perhaps staring at Dr. and Mr. Smythe might give folks the wrong idea and forces himself up the stairs, "If anyone gets nosy – just – you know... shoot 'em."

"Shoot 'em?" Zoë says, turning to look up at him.

"Politely." He shrugs and speeds up as he moves away.

_Oh, yes. Just great_. Zoë turns back to keep an eye on the passengers.


	31. Part ThirtyOne Phlogiston

**A/N: **_Firefly bits here are from "Serenity" Part one, the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM. Any remaining scenes recycled from "Rose" still belong to the BBC, even if I completely change them around.  
OtherMeWriter, If you look at River and Simon and then at the 9th Doctor and Riddick, you can sort of pick out the similar features… And of course they all dressed similar to give that notion even more weight. Plus Verity is sort of fudging folks' impressions a bit too.  
Katya, Hello there. Yep it's the Doctor and his crew.  
Reb, I got your email, welcome to the mutant plot bunny! I'm glad you enjoy this story.  
Cassikat, every other chapter is fine. I just love the reviews, is all. Hey, didn't River, like, show Rose the spin of the earth? Oh Right. The Doctor did that, but it was River's idea. You don't go saving planets and Time Lords without becoming friends. Rose is fitting in because of her connections with Verity and Verity's taking River under her wing. What Rose doesn't realize is that she and Simon are doing more than a little of the filtering that the TARDIS and the Doctor have been doing. This leaves Verity and Thete with more energy to deal with the Parasite, hopefully. The situation with Jamie will be explored in dreams and conversations, as the Doctor is going to be thinking quite a lot about it. If you haven't seen the video yet the link to it is in** TARDIS Parking **under 'Overall Story Series Background Info: Or you might not know this but you should!' Post #9 (that's the forum and thread, link in my profile).  
My Reflection, Um… Inara's Fire. She's the one that Verity brought them here to meet. And you guessed right about Mal (wow). The Furyan had no name, as he was too insane to remember it. And Dobson… well, he's involved rather deep, so redemption is unlikely.  
Jelly Babies?_ **:-D**

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Thirty-One

Phlogiston

There was something in the air, she noticed, a feeling of energy that left her tingling. It was stronger as she guided the shuttle closer to _Serenity_. A curious sensation, altogether different than anything she'd ever sensed before. It wasn't physical, not totally, although her body responded to it in a fashion that was completely out of character. The dark headed woman was actually feeling a bit randy. She _never_ felt like this. Her concentration on her physical reactions and the mental confusion it was causing led her to nearly jump in her seat as Wash's voice came over the com, "Inara. You're just in time." 

She forced herself to appear and sound calm although her racing heart just wouldn't slow, and the fire in her earthy center was still building like molten lava. She sure hoped that she wasn't flushed, "Let me guess. We're in a hurry."

Wash is, of course, ahead of the game and could have had this boat in the air before Mal even asked him to. He works the controls like he was born on them; "Looks like. Port hatch green for docking." He observes as the Companion guides her shuttle into the port like she's a pro at that too. Then again, he has yet to find something that she's not good at, from firing a gun or bow to cooking, from mingling with high society to happening to locate the specific part in a junkyard they need and then managing to convince the owner of said part to give it to them. Really.

Her voice floats into his ears with only a slight bit of breathlessness that makes him wonder if she's still got someone with her, "Locked in five. Four. –" He turns his attention to making sure the ports seal.

As the shuttle locks into place the sensation building inside her nearly explodes into desire and electric prickles that race over her skin. She hurriedly toggles the com off before a moan escapes her throat. _What is causing this_? The _'Ifritah _jerked her hands off the shuttle controls and looked at them, making sure that the flames were not visible. She shivered, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Letting her body ride this out, Inara found the once red coin in her pocket and curled her fingers around it. The contact with the alien metal made the sensations snap and surge unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She felt like there were invisible lines of tension connecting her erogenous zones to something outside of her that was manipulating her like a puppet master. _Oh, my_ – Seeking distraction from the raging inferno inside, her mind travels over the equations that connects her still to her people. _Oh_! The past and the future have crossed. He is here. As she, driven by the psychic energy flowing around _Serenity_, reaches a state of rapture, the only thing she can think of is that the Red Guardian as found her at last. 

Unaware, Wash turns and calls to Zoë, "The Ambassador has returned!"

The second in command moves down the hall, through the dining area and out onto the catwalk over the cargo bay, "We got a full house, Captain."

The passengers are all in the dorm area selecting rooms, and Mal is with Jayne, stowing the supplies and cargo that Wash has brought aboard. He leaves Jayne with the last crate, which is small, and steps up to the airlock, "Kaylee, I'm locking it up!"

The mechanic has been trying to catch them more passengers and has had no luck. She looks around a final time, "All aboard..." she says softly before hitting the door lock with a firm fist. She then picks up her folding chair and slips inside the hold. She crosses the bay and smiles at Rose who is watching everything from the dorm port. "All settled in?"

"Yeah. So what do you do here?"

"I'm the mechanic," Kaylee says to the blonde. "So your dad's a Doctor?"

"Err… well, no. I mean, I'm a family friend, not one of Jon's kids. But Saritha and I are best chums." Rose looks at Kaylee, "I'm Rose. Rose Tyler." She offers to carry Kaylee's chair, "Maybe you could join us for some girl stuff? I mean, we're out numbered."

Kaylee smiles at her and accepts the help, "Kaylee Frye. Yeah, I'd like that. It's not often I get to spend time with gals my age. 'Nara's older than me even. And you've seen Zoë. She'd rather spend time with her gun or her husband than gossipin'." After a moment the dark headed teen bounces up behind Rose and smiles at Kaylee too. "Come on, I'll show ya my room."

Mal watches the three young, giggling, women head up to Kaylee's bunk, "Don't forget you're working!" He can tell though that the warning just slides past the cheerful Kaylee like most of his other threats.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The ex-ranger carefully noted which bunk Dobson had chosen and steered Jack, River, Simon, and Rose into rooms that were as far away as possible from him. Just instinct. He made sure that the bunk he shared with Thete was positioned in such a way that anyone trying to get to the kids would have to risk crossing his path first. He noted that the Shepherd, Book, seemed to catch onto his plan and took a room that helped to block off access to Dobson where the youngsters were concerned. His sliding door was currently open, as he removed what little he had in his suitcase and hung it in the storage area. Richard planted himself in the doorway in front of 'Jon' who was obsessing over the folded state of their clothes, being compulsive about the perfection of it. Better to let him be than to get him all in a dither. "So, you're a preacher?" he says to the dark skinned older man.

"From Southdown Abbey, yes." The gray clad man looked up at Richard, taking in the 'fighter's stance' and the extreme protective air that the bespectacled man puts off. He must be ex-military, Book figures. He's not being threatening at the moment toward him, but he's definitely guarding his – husband – with dedication. There's no doubt about it, at least not to Book's mind. And he's not overly sure how he feels about this. He knows that the upper crust is less tolerant of this sort of thing than the middle class. Neither man gives off 'upper-crust' airs, but it's clear that they are well to do by the very nice clothing that the pale man is putting away rather obsessively. Book's always felt that God chose a person's true love, no matter what gender, but so many relationships were based on lust. He wondered which this was. 

"Overheard you telling the mechanic your name was Book. I figure it's not polite to know someone's name without tellin' your own. I'm Richard. Richard Smythe." He moved out into neutral turf, being the hallway, and offered his hand. 

Book smiled and accepted the handshake, "So are the children yours?"

"Well, I don't want to offend anybody." 

"I won't be. God's miracle no matter how they came to be."

Rich smirked, "All but Rose, the bottle blonde. She's sorta adopted. Hard to resist her brown eyes when she's crying."

"And your – spouse?"

"Jon? Of course they are his. Ours. No convoluted inanity about it."

"Must have been expensive."

"Worth every credit. And I'd do it again in a hot flash, if Jon even hinted at wanting more."

No, not simple lechery. No one could have put out that much effort over that much time during the civil war, and call it lust. The shepherd looked past the bronze skinned man at Jon who glanced up from his unpacking and gave him a broad grin, "Hello." He turned back to the shirt he was folding, shook it out and started over. And that there was a man far too happy to be in a bad relationship. 

Book let a smile settle on his own face. When he'd first seen the couple and their children he worried about the nature of their relationship, but having talked to them, even briefly, he determines that they truly, totally, are faithful to each other. It's not the sort of match that two souls can fight against.

"Thankfully the compulsive streak has only seemed to pass down to Saritha, and I'm trying to nip it in the bud." Richard laughs. Book joins in the warm happiness. This is going to be a fine trip. 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Finally in space and out of the local sphere of threat relating to being stopped by any manipulations Badger might have pulled Mal calls everyone, passengers and crew alike, into the dining area. It's peaceful out here in the black. Cold and void. Not quite 'deep space' but space none the less. Mal's one of the few that feels totally at home here, like this is his element. He's got folks at the table and around the seating area off to the side, and thus he's slightly at an angle to them both. The Smythe family is paying him full attention, children gathered around their fathers like any normal family. The preacher and the businessman are scattered among the crew, more or less, with the holy man leaning surprisingly toward the couple as if he's perfectly fine with it. 

Mal notes too that Zoë's got that look in her eye that screams how badly she wants a family too. Seeing the Smythes with their kids looking happy is enough to make anyone want kids, Mal reckons. He's not totally immune to it, either. Actually he's been thinking thoughts along the lines of how nice it would be to have some young 'ins underfoot, and that's not really a good thing, seeing as he's totally single. And totally broke. Right. Better get on with the rules before his brain starts heading off about how good a mother 'Nara would be. Hell… "Meals are taken up here in the dining area, the kitchen is pretty much self explanatory, you're welcome to eat what there is any time." He looks at them all, "What there is, is pretty standard fare, I guess, protein in all the colors of the rainbow. We do have sit-down meals, the next one being at about 1800."

"I think Shepherd Book has offered to help me prepare something," Kaylee pipes up.

The captain looks at Kaylee then over at the individual she's indicating, who he knows is a preacher, but to find he goes by 'shepherd' kind of throws him, "You're a _Shepherd_? Which Abbey?"

"Southdown. Thought the outfit gave it away. Is it a problem?"

Mal's shaking his head, just because God's left him behind and made a shattered mess of his soul doesn't mean he has a problem with others who still have faith, such as it is. Kaylee jumps up to reassure Book, "Of course not!" She looks back at Mal and sees he's not trying to make an issue of it, just that he's surprised. Looking back at Book, "It's no problem, 'cause it's not."

"Certainly, it's not." Mal says trying to sooth the ruffled feathers. Kaylee settles back down, Book gives him an understanding expression and then reassures the mechanic with a smile. Turning to address everyone, he continues, "As I said, you're welcome to visit the dining area any time. Apart from that, I have to ask you to stay in the passenger dorm while we're in the air. The bridge, the engine room, cargo bay – they're all off limits without an escort."

Simeon leans over, "Dad, we've still got stuff in the cargo bay."

"Yes, this is true, son. But I'm sure there will be time for us to get what we need, and opportunity to beg an escort if necessary," Jon tells him.

Mal nods, "I figure you all got luggage you're gonna need to get into. Soon as we're done here we'll be happy to fetch 'em with you." This seems to relieve the younger Mr. Smythe. "Now I have to tell you all one other thing and I apologize in advance for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, we've been ordered by the Alliance to drop some medical supplies off on Whitefall. It's the fourth moon on Athens, a little out of our way, but we should have you on Boros no more than a day off schedule."

"If I may," Jon pipes up, waiting until Mal is looking at him, "What medical supplies? I'm a doctor, my son Simeon is in advanced training as a field surgeon as well and if they are having a medical situation on Whitefall we're willing to donate services." 

This tosses in a wrinkle… "I honestly didn't ask, but we can send them a wave and find out."

Zoe steps in; "Likely it's just a standard supply run to replenish the clinics. You know, plasma, insulin, whatever they ain't got enough of." 

Those intense blue eyes lock on hers and Jon says, "Ah. Well I suppose in that case our services won't been needed."

"Probably," she manages to get out. 

"Alliance says jump..." Mal says, trying to give his second some breathing room. He's going to have to talk to her later about her reaction.

"Oh, right." Jon's profound gaze doesn't seem to dig in as deep on him, but maybe that's because Mal doesn't feel any guilt about the lie and Zoë still has problems with the life they are leading. Or maybe it's because he finds a sort of morbid thrill in the agonizing depths of those eyes that he relishes too much to be distressed over. They lock into each other for a moment and that electrifying sensation courses through him again. Then the pale man turns his head and looks at Richard with a small grin. 

Mal swallows and looks to his best friend, "Zoë, you wanna take 'em to the cargo bay?"_ God, did that sound like someone had a squeezing hand on his balls?_ He sure hopes not.

The expression he gets is a strange one, like she'd rather not. But she says, "Yes, Sir," anyway and gets to her feet. 

He tries again, hoping his voice don't go all funny like kid with hormone changes, "Anything else you need, just...ask. We," his voice squeaks, "_uh_, we're here to serve." Hell. _What the blazes is wrong with me today_? Zoë leads the others out, leaving Mal and Wash to head up to the cockpit together. The strawberry blonde is giving him a strange look, as if he's noticed the effect that Jon's having on him. Before he can say anything Mal asks, "Did you send word to Patience?"

Wash's expression doesn't change, but he replies to Mal's question instead of digging him about his odd reactions, "Ain't heard back yet. Didn't she shoot you one time?"

"Everybody's makin' a fuss."

"Well, yeah," the pilot says. "Because I'm seeing here, this little problem in which this very possessive man, who happens to be an expert knife fighter, tries to carve out your heart…" He looks at Mal, "And thinking about the Old Lady's shooting you is safer."

Mal freezes, "What? No." He looks at Wash, "Ain't like that. Jon's been through a war, I can see it his eyes, and it's like looking into my own soul. Nothing like what you're thinking."

"Oh, good. Because Richard's been through that same war and he'll kill you for stepping in on what he considers to be his." The expression the pilot wears is friendly, but serious. "Frankly, I like working for you, Mal. Even if it does cause problems between Zoë and I about – things, I _do_ like working for you. I'd hate to find you dead in your bunk with various body parts shoved down your throat. Like your intestines. Or your family jewels."

"Do you know this guy?"

"Yeah. I do. Fought in the Wailing Wars with him. He saved my life." Mal stands there blinking. He knows Wash has experience with more ships and more regions of space than he's let on. And he knows the man hides scars behind his humor. But this is the first time he's mentioned his past in any detail aside from the piloting. He almost misses the next words, as they are spoken so softly; "I'm trying to return the favor."

"And Jon?"

"Might've been. There were hundreds of us, Mal. He took on odds that we all figured would kill him to give us time to get away. Rescued us from a POW camp. It's possible Jon was someone I didn't see, or involved in another area. Rich is a good guy, just a tad possessive." Mal notes that Wash is focused on the stars like the experience happened yesterday. He puts a hand on the man's shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

"Let me know when Patience does contact us." Absently, the pilot nods. 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zoë led the passengers back into the cargo bay. She had no problem with this. None at all. She stops on the central landing while the others are collecting what they think they need. Jon's moved over to the large blue wooden box and placed his hand on it. It's still covered with the tarp, she notices. 

Kaylee joins her on the landing, "What's bugging you?"

"Nothin'," she replies. Her eyes are roving over the Smythe children who are digging out non-essential things, like cards and games, and gadgets, and one even has what looks like an old-style book. "They must be very well off."

"Saritha said they get a lot of flack, because of them having two dads. So they're home schooled. And that book is a web book, with changing stuff inside. Kinda cool. They're using it to keep Jacob's schooling up." 

"Those are hellishly expensive." 

Kaylee shrugs, "So?"

"_Mei-Mei_, people with that kind of cash just don't fly on ships like this." Actually, people with that kind of cash could buy the ship right out from under them.

"Well – these do," She says defensively. "Jon said he goes to border moons and helps out where he can, because there's no sense in being a Doctor if you don't – doctor folk. Besides, I like them." Zoe looks at her. One thing Kaylee is good at is judging people. If she likes someone then chances are that someone is an honest person. " – But, you know, I think there's something else going on with them. Wash brought them back to the ship, and I don't know if you noticed but your husband has been quiet ever since." She raised an eyebrow at the engineer who is staring at Jon and Richard. The pair are watching the kids, but not gathering anything themselves. "You know, Jon kinda – glows." 

Zoë laughs, "That's the harsh lights on his very pale skin, hon." Kaylee didn't say anything, but she shook her head slightly. This made Zoë turn her attention back to the pair. Jon was leaning against the blue box; arms crossed over his chest, smirking at the two sisters as they bounced around him like they just discovered some secret packed in their luggage. Although the bounce and smirk quickly changed to defensive protecting a second later, and Zoë was hard pressed to tell if the father was protecting his girls or if the girls are protecting their father.

Richard was over near Simeon and Jacob glaring daggers at Dobson. The honey haired boy is on the floor with his arms around his older brother with a similar glower on his face, clearly protecting the young man. The ex-ranger's deep voice carried with steely cold, "Stay the fuck away from my kids. Don't touch them. Don't look at them. Don't even breathe on them. _Dong Ma_?" 

"I said I was sorry." Dobson was saying.

"Your _gorram_ bags are over there on the other side of the cargo bay. There's no reason for you to even walk over here." The bronze man planted himself between the merchant and the boys, his face looking like someone who could kill. Zoë darted down the stairs. 

Mal is just coming in at those words. He steps up to protect Kaylee even though she's well out of the way. Dobson stammers "I – just…"

"Mr. Dobson, why don't you head to your room or the dining area if you have everything you need," _Serenity_'s second in command suggested. The businessman trips as he backs up. Then he turns and leaves.

"God-damned pratfall," Richard says. "He's been warned." 

"You sure?" Zoe isn't sure why but this man makes her think of herself. She feels a kinship with him that can only come from shared experiences. He's seen the worse of life and death, maybe even more than she has, and it's very clear that he'll protect his own.

He looks at her. "No one is that clumsy. Walked straight over here and 'tripped' into my boys to see what they were doing. It's not his business if they got something on the way here. Would you want some nosy bastard lookin' at something you bought for your husband if he nearly knocked him over to do it?" She shakes her head as Book heads up the stairs with a bag and box in his hands. He gives them both to Kaylee, who smiles a huge smile before scampering off toward the kitchen. "She reminds me of Rose and Saritha. On too much sugar." 

Zoë laughs. "She's very special to us."

"Oh, I imagine so. Sunshine like that don't come along very often."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kaylee Frye is a home-educated young lady. Raised around a big family, the youngest girl, and her mother's special 'unexpected' child. Her daddy spoiled her in some ways, letting her do things that her older sisters would have gotten in major trouble for doing.

Then again, she had pegged every one of them when they'd gotten knocked up in spite their daddy's best efforts. Now she was sensing stuff again. And she really hoped it was Zoë… She knew it wasn't her, she'd been off the live boys now for a while. It was hard to catch someone for a relationship when Mal didn't set down in one spot for more than five hours at a time, at the most. Shore leave? They didn't _do_ soil kissin' on this boat. Most times she didn't mind, honestly. And she knew if she wanted a live man there was Jayne, all she had to do was ask him. Not that she would. He was too much like a brother to her.

She was pretty sure it wasn't Rose or Saritha. She'd spent enough time with them to pretty much clear them off. Rose had mentioned a boyfriend, but also said she'd been very careful about that when Kaylee had asked if they'd ever had an 'opps' moment. Saritha said she'd never had a boy at all although she'd listened with rapt attention to Rose's and Kaylee's stories about it. No blushing kid, was she. Kaylee figured eventually Saritha would find a special boy and that would be that. Until then she'd make sure that no one took that away from her. And that just about covered all the women… 'cept 'Nara. She doubted the Companion would be careless like that, anyhow.

Her senses must be off, because there's no other options really. She settles the bag and the box down and spends a few moments putting the fresh goods away into the hampers for it. So rare was it for them to have stuff to put into those hampers that she had to clean them out. But tonight, and perhaps a few nights more, they would have fresh stuff to go with the packaged. That done, she folded the bag neatly so she could return it to Book.

She then turned her attention to the small box. This was why she'd let Book come aboard. She'd have paid for his passage out of her own pocket for what was in this little box. She opened the box lid and practically swooned from the smell of the freshly picked delicate fruit inside. _Oh, oh yes_. She'd been thinking about this since she set eyes on them. She carefully, so as to not bruise the others that she would share, she lifts out a perfectly shaped, luscious, ripe, strawberry. 

This was, in her opinion, every bit as good as hot bouts of sex. She smells the fruit, taking her time to really enjoy every aspect of it. Then very slowly, like she's actually worshiping it the way she might a perfectly formed example of manhood, she puts in into her mouth feeling the perfectly ripe flesh, smooth skin, and little seeds with her tongue. She lets the faint flavor tease her for a moment before slowly working her teeth into the berry. Her eyes roll up in her head and close as the juice washes over her tongue in an explosion of flavor. _Oh, Yes_! Maybe even better than hot sweaty sex. Unless… it was hot sweaty sex with two very sensual men under the turbine… 


	32. Part ThirtyTwo Hearth

**A/N: **_Firefly bits here are from "Serenity" Part one, the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM. Any remaining scenes recycled from "Rose" still belong to the BBC, even if I completely change them around. Jelly Babies?  
My Reflection, "Phlogiston" is a word I learned through playing Advanced D&D, SpellJammer campaigns. For the last chapter it fit very well. Who said role-playing never taught you anything?  
OtherMeWriter, Well… those vibes are gonna remain mysterious for a bit more, but Kaylee is right. Someone is, eventually it'll come out who. And Dobson will get egged, oh yes he will… But I'm not telling you how yet. As for Wash and Riddick – it's like this, Wash was in a POW camp, he fought in a war, and he's got pilot creds that are as long as Mal's leg, that's Firefly canon. All I did was assign that wartime to the other side of my AU 'Verse's space making some of Wash's piloting time as ghost lane, cryo-runs. And there will be a surprise with the 'gold'…_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Thirty-Two

Hearth

It had taken quite a lot to finally get calmed down enough to even think about making an appearance in the main section of the ship. And she knew already that Mal would find some way to make her life difficult. She steadied herself with breathing exercises and took a quick sponge bath before dressing in clothes that wouldn't splash her career all over the place, choosing something elegant but simple. Inara placed the gold coin back around her neck and hoped that the individual she was supposed to meet wouldn't be the one that Mal would choose to embarrass her with. 

The _'Ifritah_ was almost scared to exit her shuttle. She'd been left behind while the ship went and did it's business and usually when that happened Mal was sharper with her than he was most other times. And yet, she was paid up on her rent, so really there was no reason for her to be denied access to the showers, kitchen, or company that the others afforded her. She steeled her resolve and opened the hatch that lead into the main cargo bay. The stairs are fairly steep, which is why she wears elegant but sensible slippers on her feet instead of heels. The cooler air insures that she swirls a wrap around her shoulders before she steps out. She hears the sounds of youth, the deep rumble of a voice that is unknown to her and the feel of a mind that already is aware of her approach.

She slowly descends the stairs until the bay itself came into view. Kaylee is just returning from the kitchen with an empty bag in her hand. Mal is perched on the main landing. Zoë is down on the cargo bay floor next to a muscular bronze tanned man with closely cropped dark hair who is wearing lightly shaded glasses. Behind him are two young women about Kaylee's age that are dressed alike but are not related to each other, two young men who while wildly different in their ages likely are related to each other, and another slightly taller man with pale skin, naturally short seal brown hair, and two hearts. Her breath catches in her throat and she places one hand up on the coin. He's not looking her way, but she knows his is the mind that has been pressing against hers ever since she returned to the ship.

On the landing below her Kaylee hands the bag in her hand to a man in gray. As he turns she notices he's a Shepherd. Likely from Southdown Abbey. Unusual that one of the cloth would choose to leave the security of the stone walls that make it easy to have faith in God, but not unheard of. Just as the man is passing Mal the captain looks up and spots her. Inara tries to not cringe from the teasing look that lights his eyes, "Ah, the _Ambassador_ graces us with her presence."

She feels, more than sees, the eyes of the others turn to her. The priest is the closest and she suspects that Mal's going to toss something very negative at her in order to make the man dislike him. She keeps her focus on the bay in general even as the holy man looks up at her, "Hello, Mal. I see we have some new faces." 

Excited at her emergence Kaylee grins, "Hey you."

Inara can never reject the mechanic's joy at life, no matter how much she's dreading whatever sharp knife Mal's looking to shove into her this time. She meets the smile with one of her own, "Hey you." 

Mal actually pauses as he looks at the Companion. Something about her is different today, and it's not her makeup or her clothes. It's not her understated but elegant adornments or her light pleasant fiery spice of a scent. It's not her hair, either. But there's something -- in her eyes -- that have changed. Ever since he first put sight on her he noticed how constrained her expression always was, like a wall existed between her and the 'Verse. But now, there's a fire in her eyes, a glow, and he can see that her emotions are open and raw. He doesn't know why this has changed but he can see that it has. His heart flips in his chest for a moment when she looks at him and he feels like she's consuming his shattered soul. With far more respect than he normally affords her he says, "Ambassador, this is Shepherd Book."

"I'd have to say this is the first time we've had a preacher on board," she says as she looks over at the Shepherd, "Although I should warn you, Shepherd, that I'm a Registered Guild Companion, not a dignitary." 

Book can sense that whatever it was that Mal was trying to pull has just been curtailed before anything negative could come of it, "Well, that's unusual for a ship this size. I don't believe there are many Companions that choose this lifestyle. But why 'Ambassador'?"

"She_ is_ pretty much our ambassador," Mal says. "There's plenty of planets won't even let you dock without a decent Companion on board. This... this isn't a problem for you, is it, Shepherd?"

Smirking at the failed attempt, Kaylee says, "It's not a problem --"

" 'Cause, it's not," Book finishes. "It's a pleasure to meet you, 'Ambassador'—"

"Inara Serra, Shepherd." She smiles as he takes her hand and places a light gentlemanly kiss on the back of it. 

"—Inara. I think you'll find the other passengers, the Smythe family, to be a delight." 

Giving Mal a 'hah, got you' expression, Inara allowed Book to escort her down to the hold floor. Kaylee followed them. The engineer says, "So how many fell madly in love with you and wanted to take you away from all this?"

Laughingly she says, "Just the one. I think I'm slipping."

"Do you have people actually do that?" Book says. 'Nara nodded. "I'd consider that rude."

"It's usually the young ones that don't know any better," She found herself stopped in front of the two girls. She smiled, "Hello."

"This is 'Nara," Kaylee said to them. They both smiled back at her, having been told, in Rose's case, what exactly a Companion was. "Inara, this is Saritha Smythe and Rose Tyler."

"Sounds like a glamorous life you lead," the blonde said.

"It can be, but there's always some drawbacks to every path in life, Miss Tyler." She's relieved to see the young woman nod, "And who is this?" 

"Simeon and Jacob, my brothers," says Saritha. Then to them, "This is Inara."

"Ma'am," they chorus. 

She smiles as the other two members of the Smythe troop come over to her. "And your – fathers?" Inara says to the children in general. The dark headed twins and honey haired boy nod. 

Rose says, "Richard and Jon." The Companion finds that both know the proper decorum for addressing her silently by politely kissing the back of her hand. She also knows that Richard is more than he appears to be, just with his touch. But Jon looks into her eyes and she feels her entire past open to him, and she feels him slightly tweaking her equations, easing her psychic inter-linking with him. She has to force herself to not show deference to him out where others might see it. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he says. She squeezes his cool hand slightly more than she had Richard's. Inara smiles and hopes that her cheeks are not tinged with pink. She is amazed that one of her people's allies survived. Amazed and honored that he'd been here in front of her. She wants to kiss his feet, anoint him with oil, and give him her soul… _We'll talk later _'Ifritah_, away from the prying eyes of those who won't understand. _She dips her head as he lets go of her hand. 

Kaylee says, "Oh! Look at the time. We need to make supper." The preacher glances at the engineer's chrono and nods. Inara decides to follow them to the kitchen. Kaylee says as she climbs the ladder, "Ain't he a hottie? Too bad he's sly, huh?" The Companion laughs quietly and nods. _If only Kaylee really knew_… Book gives them both an amused expression.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Thete ushers his group back to the dorms. He figures that the captain and his first mate have other things to do besides watch them dig through their luggage for things they don't need. Although… he'd like to move the TARDIS into his shared room with Richard, just to have Verity closer to him. _I'm fine, Thete_. She insists that the cargo bay is closer than where she normally ends up, which is quite true. It's just the idea of not being able to touch her is all. But they survived this before, he expects he'll be fine. After a moment he sighs and removes the leather jacket, transferring the dimensional openings into his cargo pockets, with a minimal of fuss and checks to make sure his yo-yo and sonic screwdriver are there along with the psychic paper and wallet. And other assorted things… They all come up as he searches for them. This might not be too bad, he thinks. 

Rich watches him fiddle with his pockets for a moment then walks up and wraps his arms around the other man's waist. 

"Hey, luv," the Doctor says as he relaxes into Amadak's arms. 

"Did I ever tell you how much I like angora?" the ex-ranger kisses the back if Thete's smooth neck.

Smirking with his eyes closed, the Time Lord says, "Um… I think I recall something about that." They sway for a bit, slowly rocking in a slight dance-like movement as the bond sings with the awareness of each other. Thete entwines his fingers with Amadak's, not bothering to open his eyes. By Rassilon, how he's missed this. There's a sharp twisting pain with the thought that makes tears come to his eyes. The Doctor tries to force it away because he's not going to lose this one the way he lost the other. He's not. He won't let anything happen this time. 

He feels Amadak flood his mind with reassurance. _I'm not going anywhere without you. Ever. Not even death will pry me away, Thete. All that I am, all I can be, it's yours, without condition. _Richard hugs him tighter, moving one of their inter-linked hands up under the layers of cloth until he can splay his palm over cool skin just above the waistband of Thete's slacks with the Time Lord's hand over his own. He presses his lips to the source of the honeyed musk and sucks at the exposed juncture of shoulder and neck. 

The moisture slips down his face, he can't stop it. The declaration is made with conviction, but the intense piercing agony is still there. There's only one thing that can drive it away, but Thete wonders if perhaps he needs this pain, if he needs to remember what he's lost so that he respects what he's being offered now. He rides out the white-hot spike until his body begins to overcome it with another type of heat, one born of pleasure. The sensation shivers up and down his being spreading out from the point of contact with Richard's lips and tongue, "Did I get a chance to tell you how much that particular action effects me?"

"Not as such, no." Rich says as he pauses with the suction, nips at the same spot and then goes back to his previous action. 

Moving the other hand down a little lower, "Well—" The much warmer hand cups him, massaging through the layers of cloth. Richard watches Thete's face as the lines of pain fade into a glow of enjoyment. 

"Oh, you like that, huh?" he goes back to nibbling on the now relaxed and exposed throat. 

"Um," the Doctor is practically purring. 

With a lick the ex-ranger moves his face to a pale earlobe as he pulls the Time Lord back to press more on himself, "As you can tell, I like it too." Then he suckles on the ear before going back down to the juncture of the man's neck and shoulder. 

"Ah -- this is good. I enjoy bananas." Richard snorts and bites a bit harder. "You're going to leave a mark."

"That's the point. Shut up," he cuts off anything else by coaxing a moan out of his alien. And really, that's how he feels. Thete, the Doctor, Jon, whatever name he chooses to go by, is his. He wants everyone to know it. And he'll do whatever he needs to do to keep him. He raises his head and looks at the deeply colored mark surfacing on the pale skin. Then he licks it and moves his attention to the flushing cheeks and mouth trying to memorize every inch of soft skin. 

Thete twists and kisses him. _This better_?

_Infinitely_. They flow quickly into the realm of not needing any words.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Rose snickers at the slightly rumpled look that the older pair possesses when they emerge from their room. Even though they were quiet and the air filters minimized odors, she can tell what they were doing, even without the hickey on the Doctor's neck. He's shed the coat and the collared shirt, so the mark is not quite hidden. "You look thoroughly shagged, you two," she teases. Rich pulls down his shades and winks at her. "Yeah, randy boys," she pats the bronze man on the ass. "Not that I mind." The ex-ranger takes it with good humor.

"Hey now, that's mine there you're swattin'," the Doctor protests with a broad grin. She knows he doesn't really mind. He might even be a little flattered by it. 

Rose sticks her tongue out at him. Then more seriously she says, "I called my mum, just thought you'd like to know. Phone worked fine. Thank you." 

"My pleasure."

Rose tucks herself between Rich and Jon until they reach River's room and then she snags the dark haired girl and wraps her arms around her shoulders. Swaying from foot to foot Rose says in her ear, "They shagged, you owe me a quid." 

"Oi, no betting," Thete tugged their ponytails and the two girls laughed before heading out of the dorm. "Brats."

Jacob said, "Hey, food's on. Hurry or there'll be nothing left." 

"We're on our way," Richard tells him as he drapes an arm across Thete's back. "You will eat, right?"

"What's with the eating all of a sudden?"

"I just don't want to explain why you're pushing food around your plate." 

Jon kissed him, "Yeah, I'll eat."

They headed up the stairs, with Simeon and Jacob just behind Rose and Saritha. The table's been expanded a bit and what extra chairs there are to be had are arranged so there are enough settings for everyone. Jayne eyes over the late arrivals and then blinks when Rose and Saritha settle down on one side of him with Simeon on the other side. "Hi," says the ebony headed teen, "I'm Saritha."

Zoë and Mal both wander in just as Jacob squeezes in between his dads with a smirk, "Only way to keep you two from pawing each other," the boy teases.

Jayne responds to the girl, "Jayne Cobb."

Rose says, "Isn't Jayne a girls name?"

"No!" exclaims the very tall man. 

Thete bites his tongue. He's not going to say anything. "Yes," River says for him. "It's a feminine form of 'John'." Rose suppresses a chuckle and reaches over to give the other girl a push. River giggles out loud and sways with the contact.

Kaylee laughs as she sets a dish on the table and smacks Saritha on the arm, "She's just teasin', Jayne." River looks up at the golden haired girl all smiles.

"Oh, this is incredible," Zoë exclaims as she looks at the fresh food on the table. To her it's a feast. 

Book adds a few more things to the table, including mashed potatoes and sliced raw vegetables, "It's not much -- I had a garden at the Abbey, thought I should bring what I could."

"It's very kind of you to share with all of us, Sir." Simeon says.

"Quite fantastic," Jon adds. Richard nods in agreement.

"I'm gonna make a plate for Wash..." Zoë says. She snags a plate out of the cupboard and fills it with food to take up to her husband, "Save me a roll, will you?" Mal nods and puts one on her plate before the basket empties. As she steps out with the full plate the others begin passing around. Mal makes sure that a bit of each dish ends up on Zoë's plate too, so by the time she returns it's heaped full. "Thank you, sir," she says with a grin as she resumes her seat. 

She catches Book saying, "Well, it won't last, and they're never the same when they're frozen. The important thing is the spices. A man can live on packaged food from here 'til Judgment Day if he's got enough rosemary."

Dobson whose seat is on the other side of Zoë and across from Rose cuts right over what Book is saying as he comes in just a bit after the others, "Can you pass me the tomatoes?" Jayne takes a slice or two more and passes them just as Kaylee adds more rolls to the table from the oven and a fresh fruit salad. 

Then the entire group comes to a pause, aware that there's a Shepherd in the group. "Say your grace, padre," Mal says, "Just don't expect all of us to join you." 

Book blinks, "Thank you." He says a short blessing over the food and Mal pauses while it's being said, but doesn't actually bow his head like Kaylee, Dobson, Jayne, or the Smythe family. Zoë raises an eyebrow at him. He shrugs at her and breaks his roll open as the last word of the prayer goes silent. If she didn't know better she'd swear that Mal was at least trying to be nice about having Book aboard. 

The younger Mr. Smythe said, "So, does it happen a lot?" Mal looks over at him confused. He adds, "The Government commandeering your ship, telling you where to go?"

"That's what governments are for -- get in a man's way." The captain said. 

Dobson deftly sliced his food, "Well, it's good, if the supplies are needed."

Richard noticed Rose giving him a strange look. _What Mei-gui_?

She blinked. _How?_

_Verity. What are you spotting over there?_

_Oh, cool. Just that Dobson here is using his knife like you do. Like it's an extension of his hand. Does that mean anything_?

_Yes. It means he's trained to kill with them. This is why I told you to stay with River_.

Beside River, Jayne was saying, "We're just happy to be doing good works." 

_Right. I'll do that_. Rose looked away, "What other sorts of things did you grow, Shepherd Book?"

"Oh, herbs, berries, and vegetables mostly, although there's a few edible flowers I tried as well." 

"I hear a lot of the border moons are in bad shape. Plagues, and famine..." Dobson said.

Zoë has been watching Dobson too, and getting an odd feeling about him. In fact she's wondering if he's looking for a reason to rat them out for anti-government sympathies, with his line of questioning. So she tries to answer as neutrally as possible with the hopes that Mal catches on. "Well, some of that's exaggerated, and some of it ain't. All those moons -- just like the central planets, they're as close to Earth-That-Was as we could make 'em: gravity, atmosphere, and such, but..."

Only Mal doesn't catch on, "Once they're terraformed, they'll dump settlers on there with nothing but blankets, hatchets, maybe a herd. Some of them make it, some of them..." he drifts off rather than finish.

"As I understand it," Jon said, "Each moon has it's own quirks and deviations based on the basic chemical composition of the body to start. None of them are perfect, and each population suffers it's own maladies based on the interactions of the technology with the native biosphere."

"Dad, common English, please?" Simeon said.

"That was common English."

"No, it wasn't," Jacob protested.

Richard smiled, "What you're all getting at, is that humans aren't meant to be living on some of these worlds, and we're making ourselves sick by pushing it. The 'plagues' are caused by our own actions because we're rushing too fast into these new places using technology that wasn't meant for the conditions we're using it for. And I'm guessing the 'famine' is caused more by social situation."

Zoë nodded, "Yes."

"So it's good then to be helping, right?" Jacob said.

" 'Course."

Kaylee looked over at Simeon, "So both you and Jon are doctors, right?"

"Oh. Uh, yes. Although I'm specializing as a trauma surgeon. Currently I'm getting field experience. My dad is a general practitioner." 

"Where did you get your training?" She asked.

"Helion Prime. At the New Meccan Medical University," Jon said. 

Mal piped up, "Long way from here." The Doctor looked at him and nodded. He could tell though that this fit with what Mal expected. 

Dobson said, "That's the other side of Wild Space, isn't it?"

"Ain't nothin' wrong with the medical know-how over there," Mal says, "Might even be superior to ours, in many ways."

Kaylee turns her attention back to Simeon, "You seem so young. To be a doctor."

"It's what I want to do. I've been watching my dad all my life, and it just seems to fit." He shrugs, "You know, You're pretty young to be a ship's mechanic."

She blushes slightly, "No how. Machines just got workings, and they talk to me."

"That's a rare gift," Shepherd Book told her.

If anything, she blushes further, "Oh, not like being a doctor. Helping fix people, that's important."

"Little Kaylee here just wishes you was a gynecologist," Jayne says with a cackling laugh. He doesn't notice Rose's hard look, or Saritha's shocked expression, or even Kaylee's humiliation. He gives Simeon a slight push and doesn't notice the glares he gets from the male members of the Smythe clan either. 

But Mal does see the reaction. The temperature at the table has dropped a good few degrees, in fact; "Jayne." He says the name sharply enough to get the gun-for-hire's attention, "You'll keep a civil tongue in that mouth or I will sew it shut, is there an understanding between us?"

The brawny man blinks at the ship's captain, "You don't pay me to talk pretty. Just because Kaylee gets lubed-up over some big city dandies' s--"

This makes both Jon and Richard tense up. Mal knows there'll be blood if Jayne doesn't leave, "Walk away from this table. _Right now_." Jayne stares, not understanding the danger he's in for insulting two trained killers and their son. Not to mention the offense they seem to have taken on Kaylee's behalf. Mal fixes him with a stony expression, booking no arguments. Jayne, in a huff, piles on some more food on his plate and storms away with it. 

The entire gathering is quiet for a long second.

Finally Rose clears her throat, "What'd you pay him for?"

"Huh?"

"Well, just curious as to his job. On the ship," the blonde says.

Mal stares at her a moment dumbfounded. Then he replies, "Public relations."


	33. Part ThirtyThree Vesper

**A/N: **_ This roughly follows "Serenity" Part one (the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM). I've started adding background info about the Firefly 'Verse to the forum for folks who are feeling a bit lost. I am of course changing stuff… because the Doctor is there. And Rose. And Riddick. Yeah. Also, any scenes recycled from "Rose" still belong to the BBC, even if I completely change them. I'm planning on this reaching thirty-six chapters, but not completing the Serenity plotline (meaning there'll be a cliffy here to lead you all into the next story). Reviews welcome, readers encouraged -- or should that be the other way 'round? Thanks to my reviewers and readers anyway.  
Basia Orci, nice to see I've not run you off. Glad you still like it. Real Life Happens, eh? So, do we still want Jelly Babies?_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Thirty-Three

Vesper

Jon had surprised everyone when he offered to do the dishes and sent the kids down to get their games to share. Mal was surprised to be invited, as was Zoë, but both were quite delighted at the prospect. It was still a long evening in space, before the shift changes and such, and Mal didn't really object to having the passengers where he could see them all.

Zoë stepped in to help dry because Richard was involved in working out which game would be played first. He struck her as a dynamic fellow, one that was emotionally solid, who was capable of great feats of loyalty to those who earned it and great cruelty to any who crossed him wrong. His kids clearly loved him though. She did notice that Simeon and Saritha seemed to use more than simple verbal communication with each other but then most twins did that.

The merchant, Dobson, hung around for a bit while the Smythe kids haggled over whose game should be played first. He was casually watching everything, acting like he was sleepy after a big meal. Strange. It wasn't that late and the meal hadn't been that heavy. Kaylee tried speaking to him, being friendly with him in spite the fact that Dobson was being anti-social. She even offered to partner with him if they needed to team up to play the first game. He begged out and excused himself.

Mal suggested to Book that perhaps a plate of food for Inara wouldn't be amiss, and the Shepherd gladly prepared a tray and took it to her. Then he stepped out if the dining area and back toward his bunk to use the facilities before deciding what he wanted to do for the evening. Joining in on a game or relieving Wash a bit early both sounded equally good. And it might make things smoother with the pilot if he had some time with his wife.

The first mate of _Serenity_ looked at the man who was efficiently scrubbing everything in the small sink. Everything about him had a hint of being more than it seemed at first glance. His smooth skin gave him the look of being pampered, but his movements flatly contradicted this impression. His closely cropped hair and angular features might have been harsh on anyone else, but he often flashed a manic grin that blotted out all thoughts of how odd he looked. He'd certainly charmed Kaylee easy enough. And Inara too, if she remembers correctly. Her eyes wandered to his hands, as he rinsed a glass with a practiced movement. The tendons and muscles under his smooth skin moved evenly. Zoë knew he was much stronger than he appeared, just by that. She took the glass and filed away the sensation of his cool fingers for later analysis. Drying the dish she let her eyes watch him wash the next one.

He had the sleeves of his soft sweater rolled up to his elbows, exposing a rather striking dragon tattoo that was on his inner forearm. He wasn't trying to hide the mark, she noticed. He scarcely seemed aware of it. It's got a tribal look to it, very graceful yet masculine. It struck her as a strange place for a tattoo, as the mark itself would hardly ever been seen. And it was really a very nicely done, understated tattoo that somehow fit him. She noticed that his homogeneous fair toned complexion was unmarred by hair too, like he waxed or was very blonde. Having her own extremely pale man, she knew he must blush up in a phenomenal fashion. Really she shouldn't be thinking of that sort of thing right now. But then, he had a very well formed love bite at the base of his neck that was hard to miss. She took the plate from him and set to drying, "Kaylee made the off-handed comment that you -- glowed."

He glances at her, dipping his elegant hands back into the suds and setting to work on another dish without taking his eyes off her. The intense gaze doesn't quite unsettle her the same way it had before because of the teasing glint in them. However, she can see vast intelligence and great darkness in those deep blue orbs. For a timeless moment she almost forgets who she is as she meets them with a steady sure contact. She knows that he's got more complex layers than anyone has right to have, a depth of pain that rivals Mal's coupled with a sense of childlike wonder that somehow keeps bouncing back no matter what he's been through. And right now his eyes are twinkling at her with amusement so quietly profound that she is positive he's got a massive secret that he's hiding. He's like a boy with a toad in his pocket. After a moment he grins, "This bothers you?"

She finds her voice, "Puzzles me. I don't think she was talking about you being happy."

Jon's very devious and teasing look spreads from his eyes to the rest of his face, "Now that's interesting. What do you think she was talking about, then?" Sure enough there was a certain radiance to him, a sense of power and promise, like he held the future locked inside his very pores. The sensation was quite strong; stronger than she'd ever noticed about anyone before. And she had met others with that sort of energy. Other women mostly.

The dark skinned first mate was quiet for a time, pondering it. She kept coming back to the same conclusion, as to why someone might 'glow' besides being happy. And frankly, Kaylee was right, he was positively glowing, now that she was really focused on him. It didn't make sense though. "Well, it's silly. Not to mention impossible."

"Ah." He handed off another item, "And you just don't do flights of fancy, do you?"

Zoë glanced at him, getting the impression of great age for a moment, "Not usually, no." There was something about Jon though that was different. She took the next plate from his hands and wondered about what it could be. He was compelling, spoke with conviction, was clearly very intelligent, and she had no doubt he could take life as easy as he could save it.

"Five hundred years ago, _this_ was a dream. Can you even begin to imagine what it was like a thousand years ago? Or what it's going to be like five hundred years in the future?" Jon looks away finally. "Who is to say that the impossible today isn't the accepted fact of tomorrow?"

Now she's really curious about a lot of things having to do with his situation. Those beautiful children, for example. Clearly they are his and Richard's flesh and blood. There are too many shared features for it to be otherwise, from the shapes of their lips and bone structure of their faces, to his unusual blue eyes that are the exact same as the oldest boy's. But how did they get from a bundle of shared genes to living babies? "Did you use a surrogate for your children?"

"Oh -- I don't think I'll answer that." He lets the sink drain, towels off his hands, and moves away leaving her to dry the last of it with a perplexed look on her face. She felt like he'd answered her by not answering her. She was left with a riddle. One that he had faith she could unlock. But did she want to?

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Book carried the tray up to the shuttle door and knocked. He was a little nervous about crossing the cargo bay without an escort but seeing as Mal knew where he was headed, he suppose that it was alright to be there. "_Ging jin_," came the Companion's voice from inside.

He steps into the tapestry and curtain shrouded shuttle and notices that she's bathing, not that he can see much more of her than her back from his angle. He's struck nearly breathless by the beauty of the understated and elegant décor. His reaction has nothing to do with the creamy tan skin that flawlessly covers her torso. No. It does occur to him that perhaps he should leave, that maybe she doesn't want him there, "If I'm intruding..."

Inara continues with her bath, unhurried and unembarrassed. She actually looks serene as she finishes up without lingering, "Not at all. I expected you."

"Couldn't really say the same," he confesses. He's feeling a touch of nerves now, unsure if this is a situation of temptation or redemption.

She is kneeling on the floor; her garment lay out around her. She puts the sponge down and neatly, gracefully, places the toga like silk over her shoulder. She turns to him with a small smile, "So. Would you like to lecture me the wickedness of my ways?" There's the offer of an icebreaker there, an olive branch of a sort. Book is more than willing to take it.

He's not quite sure when she gained her feet; the movement was so graceful. She's setting the bathing items aside, and he finds that he's more at peace with her than he thought he'd be, "I brought you some supper," he says making a motion with the tray, "But if you'd prefer a lecture, I've a few very catchy ones prepped." He jokes lightly, "Sin and hellfire... one has lepers."

She laughs lightly, showing that she gets his humor, "I think I'll pass." He offers her the tray with a smile and she takes it, "I thank you for this."

"The Captain said you might like it. I was surprised at his concern." He watches her as she sets the tray down at a low table then turns to straighten up the pillows on the couch.

"In spite the teasing, Mal means well. It goes both ways. I've gotten him pretty good too. Anyway, I suspect he has more interest in making you uncomfortable than me." She's in constant movement, but managing to not make it seem busy or nervous. She notes that he's not overly eager to leave.

Book takes note of the etched golden charm she's wearing around her neck by a thick chain. He's never see anything like it before. Curious, but likely not safe to ask about until he knows her better. Clearly it's something of great personal value. So, he keeps the conversation on the captain because that does seem to be a safe topic, "He's not wildly interested in ingratiating himself with anyone, yet he seems very protective of his crew." The preacher pauses then says, "It's _odd_."

"Why are you so fascinated by him?"

The Shepherd says, "Because he's something of a mystery." She looks away. Then he surprises her, "Why are you?"

Inara glances at him, forces her gaze to something else, and smiles to herself. No point in denying it is there? "Because so few men are."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kaylee, Saritha, Rose, Jacob, Simeon, Zoë, and Richard are gathered around a board game on the table, chasing each other's tokens across the board, drawing funny cards and being instructed to do strange things with their tokens or being forced to switch places with each other. The odd number means adding tokens from other games but no one minds. In general, they are laughing and having a good time. The dice clatters again, "Oh, no… not now! I've almost won!" exclaims Kaylee.

"Take a card," says Rose, teasingly.

The mechanic groans, "Switch with blue. Pick high or low."

Zoë says, "Low, since I've been rolling that all game. And losin'." Simeon laughs being the other 'blue' token. The dice clatters. "Whoot! I'm winning." The second in command gloats like she's shed several decades as Kaylee switches their places. Moments later Saritha eliminates Kaylee from the board. Kaylee mentions something she can use for the next round that is her good luck piece. She keeps it in the engine room and heads off to fetch it.

Jon is siting quietly in the seating area, watching them play and nursing a cup of tea, in spite their attempts to get him to join. He figures it would be too easy to cheat with the dice and he knows he'd win, so he sits it out and simply enjoys the sound of their laugher while he tries to not think about his conversation with the dark skinned woman. He doesn't want to think about the possibilities hinted at in those words or the potential agony that comes with them. Sometimes, he really wishes that his looming into the house of Lungbarrow had eradicated the human genes he carried. In spite getting away from the punishment for Loom Jumping, he'd still been plagued with this annoying fifty-first century mutation from his very human mother that had caused him much grief. And what a surprise that mutation had been the first time it surfaced. But he wasn't going to think about Jamie. Or the CIA. Or his forced regeneration. No, he wasn't. Not right now.

Jayne is in the hallway, just outside his bunk, listening and looking back that direction like he wants to be included but is waiting for an ok by Mal. Mal can hear the game in progress because his door isn't closed all the way. He finishes using the toilet, refashions his trousers, and closes the metal drawer. The toilet flushes. He then pulls out the sink, quickly washes his hands and splashes his face, and closes it. Moments later the com overrides the festive noise, "Mal, you might wanna get up here..."

Wash hasn't even finished before he's climbing up to the foredeck hallway. Without stopping he passes Jayne and moves into the bridge, closing the door as he goes. Wash is focused on one of the screens. "What is it?"

The pilot says, "Signal. Somebody went on the Cortex, hailed the nearest Alliance Cruiser." The man is a bundle of motion while appearing to be calm.

"Tell me you scrambled it."

"All to hell, but I don't know how much got through. Alliance got a pin in us for sure," Wash informs him.

Mal swears, "_Ni ta ma de, Tianxia suoyoude ren, Dou gaisi_."

"We got a mole on board. And Mal… It's not Rich, but whoever it is might be after him. Be careful."

Mal doesn't stop to think about how Wash would know, or why the target might be the bronze skinned man. All he cares about is that they are in danger, grave danger, and he's going to kill the mole, no matter who it is. Really, there are only two people it could be. Book or Dobson. He's betting on the merchant. Book was with 'Nara.

He opens the door and signals to Jayne. The gun-for-hire knows that expression and automatically falls into line behind him, not asking what or why. Ahead of them, in the dining room, Dobson steps into the opposite doorway, "All of you, away from the table." The gamers stop, the dice bouncing onto the floor, and the group going silent. "Away from the table, now." He advances into the room with his gun drawn.

Richard makes a motion and the raven-headed twins pull others down under the table, Saritha snags Rose and Zoë, while Simon pulls Jacob. Mal's never seen such coordinated movement before in children. The bronze man stands, planting himself in front of the others. "I don't know what the fuck you think you're doing Dobson, but the joke's not funny."

Mal draws his gun, with Jayne right behind him. "You are bound by law, Richard B. Riddick, for outstanding warrants on five planets in three systems," says Dobson, holding up a warrant poster and a fingerprint lift.

"You've got to be kidding," Zoë says from under the table. This is impossible. The cortex alert about Riddick had been pulled two weeks ago because he was in custody. Besides, this man looked different, his resemblance to the convicted serial killer was passing if at all.

"Down on the floor!"

Richard gets down onto the floor of the warm golden toned room, hoping that no one does anything stupid. _Thete? Don't go playing hero here_.

_Nonsense, Amadak. I'm not going to do anything foolish, just kill him is all_.

Richard closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. _Please don't get in the line of fire, Doctor._ It would just figure that as soon as he finds happiness that something would rip it away from him. That's the way it's always been. He's not even been able to really enjoy this new life.

Then Dobson spots Mal and shifts his attention to him, "Drop that firearm, Captain Reynolds."

Jayne has ducked to the side so that he's hidden. Mal steps inside the door and puts the gun down on the floor, "This is not my best day ever."

From under the table Zoë says, "Lawman, you are making a mistake." She sees Jon, who in spite his pale skin has been overlooked in the shadows of the seating area. He's got a look of raw murder on his face, a fury that looks powerful enough to take out an army. She sure wouldn't want to be the focus of that expression. The man is soundlessly and confidently moving with expert precision toward Dobson who is completely unaware that he's there. And while Jon has no weapon in his hand or on his person, Zoë's pretty sure he doesn't need one.

Book appears in the shuttle-to-kitchen port and takes in the situation, "I think everybody could stand to calm down a bit." The gun doesn't move off of Richard, even as Book moves across the room.

"This isn't your business, Shepherd."

"He's not going anywhere, lawman. As I understand it, it's pretty cold outside."

Mal opens his posture, "Look, its no worry. We'll put him in a passenger cell until we can get this ID issue verified. We're willing to work with you, Dobson."

The gun comes up on Mal, "You think I'm a complete backbirth? You're carrying a fugitive across interplanetary borders, and you think I actually believe you're bringing medical supplies to Whitefall? As far as I care, everyone on this ship is culpable."

"Well now. That has an effect on the landscape." Mal's thinking now that they have very little to lose by defying the lawman wholesale. But he doesn't want to kill him, yet. No, he wants to find out how much information has been leaked first.

Book is aiming for something, but it's hard to say what, "Please, we're very close to true stupidity here--"

Mal's noting that he doesn't know where Jon is. He tries not to look around as Dobson says, "I got a cruiser en route for intercept, so talk all you want. You got about twenty minutes."

"Might have less than that."

Dobson says, "Yeah, threaten me…"

Mal shakes his head, "Not me doing the threatening, boy. Stepping in between a 'gator and its family is a dangerous thing to be doin'."

"For God's sake," Book says as he gets even closer, "Listen--"

"You think I wouldn't shoot a Shepherd? Back off!" Dobson says.

"Zoë, help me get the kids onto the foredeck," Mal says.

"You're wrong about my papa!" Jacob says from under the table.

"No! Jack," says Simeon, trying to calm him down.

"Let me go!" the boy screams, "Papa!" Rose curls her arms around the golden haired boy along with the twins clutching him. He breaks into heart-rending sobs.

"Stay with Simeon and Saritha, Jack," orders the bronze man on the floor.

"Have you no heart for the trauma you're causing these children?" Book says to Dobson.

"Stand the hell down, Preacher!"

"Why's everybody--" Dobson spins and his weapon goes off, causing Kaylee, the speaker, to stumble backwards into the wall next to the portal she'd just stepped through, "What..."

Even as she's raising her hand toward her belly everyone else is in motion. Jon steps out of seemingly nowhere. Dobson is moving to fire on Mal who has dived for his gun. Jayne levels his weapon to cover his captain. Jon slams the lawman in the face with an open handed blow that knocks him clean out while he's still on his feet. At the same moment Book grips Dobson's gun and twists it out of his hand. Zoë's gun levels under the table as she moves to block the kids from the line of fire.

The blood splashes over Kaylee's fingers. Simeon lets go of Jack and jumps across the room to her side, somehow vaulting over the chairs without tripping on them. Inara appears at the same door Book entered through having heard the gunshot, "Kaylee!" Both she and Mal rush to the mechanic's side.

Simon is in his element here, he gets Kaylee where he can look at the wound, "How do you feel?"

"A little odd..." she mumbles, "Feet cold."

Behind them Jayne is advancing on Book, Jon and the downed Dobson. Book sees him and steps up to block, "Outta the way." He's pissed that the man shot Kaylee. The rest of it is just icing on the cake.

"You're not killing this man."

"Not right away..." the mercenary agrees.

"He's no threat," Book reasons.

"Oi, he's plenty of threat," Jon says, "Get out of the man's way, Shepherd."

Kaylee whimpers, "Why did he...?" as Simeon opens her clothes up to examine the wound.

"Oh, well, that ain't hardly a mosquito bite." Mal tells her.

She knows better, "Big mosquito..." Inara uses her wrap to pillow Kaylee's head.

"Not gonna happen." Book tells the two others. He's determined to protect Dobson.

"Jayne!" calls Zoë. She's gotten up from under the table. He looks back at her, "Just tie him up. Do it." Jayne looks at her and Jon nods in agreement. The gun-for-hire holsters his weapon and moves to get some duct tape.

Simeon is trying to keep Kaylee aware, "Can you move your feet? Kaylee. Stay with me. Can you move your feet?"

"Are you asking me to dance...?" Her eyes roll back.

"She's going into shock."

Jon turns toward the situation as Inara says, "Kaylee, _mei-mei_, you have to focus." It only takes the Doctor one look to tell that she's going to die without a miracle, or if she's extremely lucky be reduced to using a wheelchair. He can give her that medical marvel, because of the superior healing factors in his blood. But keeping Richard, Simon, and River safe come first.

Zoë moves over to Book, "The gun, Shepherd. Please." He hands over the weapon without a fuss. Moments later Jayne sets to taping Dobson up.

Kaylee screams as Simeon explores the wound with a professional touch, "The infirmary working?"

"Yeah, we got it stocked," Mal says.

Richard steps up and scoops the wounded woman into his arms. He pays not a whit to the blood, more focused on getting her to the med lab than his clothes, "Go, Simon. We got stairs to cover." Inara darts out ahead of them. Simeon doesn't question, following her. Behind them, Richard, Jack, River, and Rose chase down the stairs.

Mal starts to follow them when the com bleats out, "Captain, we've been hailed by a Cruiser. Ordered to stay on course and dock for prisoner transfer."

Jon catches Mal by the arm locking him into an intense battle of wills, "Change course. Run." His cool hand is like a steel cuff around the captain's arm. Mal knows, without a doubt, that Jon is not what he seems; he's not human. No human could have that look in their eyes, a look like the 'Verse itself is burning. For once Malcolm Reynolds thinks maybe he's in deeper than he thought he was. And he wants out.

"Hell with you. You brought this down on us, I'm dumping you with the law."

Zoe steps in on Jon's side, "No way the Feds'll let us walk."

"Then we dump the lot in the shuttle and leave 'em for the purplebellies to pick up."

"Fine, your little Kaylee dies," Jon says. "Because she'll need my blood to make it. She'll need more medical care than you've got on this boat."

"What?"

"Bullet severed the spine and punctured the stomach. Even if Simeon can get the fragments out she'll be paralyzed for life. Now. _Turn. This. Boat. And. Run_. Unless you don't mind her not walking again."

"Don't you ever tell me what to do on my--" Mal started, a scream drifted from below cutting him off. He glanced toward the back of the ship where they were taking her to.

"Mal--" begged Jayne from the floor where he was taping Dobson's mouth. He didn't care if it was hogwash or not, if Jon said he could save her then they _should_ run.

Zoë turned on the pale gent, "You let her suffer like that, you'll never make it to the Feds." She doesn't need to say that she'll kill him.

The Time Lord tightens his grip making Mal look back at him, "Do as I ask." Jon locked eyes with Mal. From the depths of _Serenity_ a second scream echoes up at them as the stomach acid begins eating away at Kaylee's insides.

Mal feels the shiver of death haunting him again. He's in the presence of something huge, powerful, and alien. No normal war could leave such a timeless mark on someone's soul. Jon is willing to save Kaylee, and all Mal has to do is break the law again for it to happen. Kaylee can be up an' fine in a few days or she can be dead before the cruiser reaches them. He knows Jon isn't lyin' about saving her. He could do it; the power is in his hands to make it happen. An even trade. They save Richard; he'll save Kaylee. Mal nods, understanding everything all at once. "Zoë. Change course." Jon releases him and moves toward the infirmary inhumanly fast, not waiting for the confirmation. Mal stands there for a tick, feeling still the icy touch of steel bands on his arm before rushing out to follow.

The dark skinned woman punches the com, "Wash, change course and go for hard burn. We're runnin'." Almost without a pause she feels the sensation of the ship making a swing and the thrust as her husband obeys the order. He must have known already and been waiting for the signal.


	34. Part ThirtyFour Effervescence

**A/N: **_ This roughly follows "Serenity" Part one (the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM). Um… Should I start offering Bananas?__  
Basia Orci, Shocking, wasn't it? But sadly necessary.  
OtherMeWriter, Watch now as Mal and our favorite Time Lord tussle over who belongs to who here… because both of them are quite protective. Wow, just watch those sparks fly._

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Thirty-Four

Effervescence

Inara tosses the door open and moves out of the way as Simon burst into the small room, "I'll need my red bag. It's in my room." Rose darts away to retrieve it before she even gets halfway off the last step. Richard carefully deposits the screaming woman on the table and begins getting her clothes open. She not fighting him, but she is in terrible pain. He works with military precision, calm and cool, the sort of detachment that comes from having seen death in more ways than one could count.

Around the edge of the room, Simon is quickly taking stock of the supplies, moving from one side of the medical area to the other methodically and quickly. His only thoughts are on saving this life, his training overriding all other fears at the current moment. The entire place is set up in a logical fashion, which is good. Once he figures out the pattern he can find what he needs very quickly indeed.

River knows where they are going. She's been aware that this is where Kaylee needs to be if they are to save her. Even in Verity, River has problems with the medical areas. She's hoping that the blue walls and old-fashioned cabinets allow her to get past her own fears. She wants to help. She knows she could, but for her own terror at getting anywhere near anything to do with medicine. She is so very broken still. She hates this. River freezes just outside the room fighting her own rising panic.

Her little brother, Jack, sees the problem. Thinking quickly, he snags her and pulls her off to the side. Suddenly he's the one doing the comforting. And really as Saritha settles onto her knees and he holds her, Jacob thinks he doesn't mind so much being the strong one that can offer succor.

On the other side of the examination/operating table, Inara opens a drawer of tools. They are surprisingly neat and ordered, sitting on trays. She pulls each one out looking to see what might be useful and preparing to sterilize the selected items. "Extractor?" Simon asks.

"Laser saw." She responds after a quick glance. The extra items go back into the drawer and she places the others into a device to render them germ free.

He shakes his head, "Too crude. Wait for Rose." He finds the medicine he's been searching for and tosses them to Richard along with the hypo. "Dope her." Richard smoothly catches the items and quickly administers the dose. Kaylee goes still and silent, the wound on her belly exposed and angered and bloody red against her slightly Asian complexion. Rose darts in with the requested bag as Simon starts scrubbing for surgery. "Unzip it onto the tray. Decide who is going to assist and scrub up." Richard steps up and begins to wash. Rose gets out of the way, moving back to where River and Jack are clustered outside the operating area and putting her arms around them. It's hard to say who is more upset, Jacob or Saritha, at the moment, so she tries to comfort both.

The Doctor breezes through the door; "The bullet damaged her spine. You're going to need a transfusion."

"Let me get the fragments out first. Kind of you to volunteer, Doctor," Simon tells him.

"My pleasure." He pulls the sweater off, revealing the short sleeve tee he's wearing under it. He then steps in the help them quickly put on scrubs, or aprons, rather.

"Nanos would help here."

"Simon," the Doctor looked at the boy, catching his eyes for a brief moment, "I've got active ambulatory components in my blood that will help her body repair itself because the damage is recent."

"Can you afford to donate?" the dark headed young man asks without taking his attention off the task of cleaning up the wound so he can see what he's doing.

He frowns, "I've made a deal with Captain Reynolds. We can't afford for me not to."

At that point Mal reaches the doorway, "This is over, y'all and me are gonna have a personal chat."

The youngest, his gloved hands already red with Kaylee's blood, says, "Won't _that_ be fun." He sounds a mite sarcastic and more than a few years older than advertised. Inara takes one look at the expression on Mal's face and steps in front of the pale man who is setting up a transfusion line. The captain looks at her confused. Jon turns and places a light hand on her shoulder. The Companion looks back at him then at Mal and wordlessly steps over to assist with Kaylee. Mal gets the impression that there was some sort of nonverbal communication there, and that bugs him to no end.

"Maybe, Jon, you and I need that chat now."

"Actually, I could use my Dad's help here," Simeon spoke up. "So if the chat could wait, we'll have a much better chance of pulling Miss Frye through this."

The Doctor quickly scrubbed his hands and pulled gloves on, stepping in to assist as indicated.

Mal backed up until he was outside the area of the operation, eyes glued to the businesslike seriousness of those still in there. He stayed like that until he couldn't stand the tension anymore then began working a path into the floor.

Jayne and Zoë came through with the Fed, Book on their heels, while the surgery was in progress. The brawny guy peered in at the situation as they passed, looking worried. It was a strange expression for the normally course fellow to be wearing. Zoë maintained her military veneer, not showing how concerned she was to any but those whom knew her better than they knew themselves. That would have given her husband and her captain equal shots at telling that she was frantic with apprehension on the inside about the state of Kaylee's health. But Mal scarcely noticed them, as he was too busy pacing. And that suited Zoë just fine, frankly. She didn't need anyone knowing how much like a daughter she viewed Kaylee to be. It might offend the mechanic, for all she knew.

The Smythe children not involved were gathered together near the window on the far side watching and clinging to each other as the older brother and two fathers worked to remove the bullet shards and piece Kaylee's innards back together. Inara is playing nurse and monitor over the patient's vital signs, while Richard and Jon both are actively assisting in the operation. Mal glances inside, fumes, and swings to furiously pace the floor again. Only upon turning back does he see Jayne huddled on the upper landing above the Smythe kids watching through an observer's port looking very frightened. He quickly moves back to peer through the window at the situation. Little has changed, but for the tools being used. He watches for as long as he can stand to be still before he sets to pacing again.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Richard is standing next to Jon who has a line connecting him to Kaylee. Simeon is washing his hands, having finished hooking up the transfusion line. Inara plants herself in front of the pair, blocking Mal's view of the blood in the clear tube as he steps through the door sometime later. The surgeon turns to the door where the captain is standing, removing his apron. "Given the conditions, it's hard to say what the outcome will be. Once she's stable we can deal with the rest." Currently the situation seems quite touch-an'-go with Kaylee's vital signs slightly erratic and weak.

"Is she gonna get stable?" Mal says as Zoë walks up behind him.

Simeon looks back at the older men behind him, "Hopefully." Really he had no idea. The unusual state of the Doctor's blood could kill her, or completely heal her. All he had to go on was the Time Lord's word because there's nothing in the TARDIS database about it.

Mal moved the boy out of the way and stepped up to Inara, "Move."

"Mal, please don't do this."

"'Nara, this ain't your business."

Behind him Zoë said, "I want know what's going on here."

"Yes, Malcolm. It is my business. You have no idea what you're dealing with."

" '_Ifritah_, let the good captain see," The Doctor said. Mal frowns as the Companion bows her head in deference and slides away, submissively. He turns to watch her, puzzled. Zoë lets out a gasp. Mal glances at his friend, notices her shock and then follows her gaze. The liquid running into Kaylee is not red, but a deep burnt orange color. Mal moves to jerk the line out of Kaylee's arm and finds Richard stopping him with a firm, human, grip.

"If you value her life you'll leave it be."

"What the hell is this?" Mal demands.

"Us trying to save her life. Look, we didn't lie to you about being a family. The Richard B. Riddick Dobson's got me confused with is on a forty-four week sleeper ship heading to Tangiers penal in the custody of one marshal William J. Johns. I'm sure you can verify that."

"Out of?"

"Eavesdown."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Zoë, have Wash search the Cortex for the records necessary to prove or disprove this man's story."

She pulled on a blank face not liking the idea of giving Dobson the benefit telling a truth at all, "Yes sir." The dark skinned woman then turned and marched out, heading back to the cockpit. She's unhappy about being excluded and sent away but goes without a fuss.

Mal stares some more at the thick cinnamon colored fluid, "How is this going to save Kaylee?"

"Mal—" He looked at Inara. She licked her lips and froze up. Her dark eyes are like coal, he notes, filled with dread and emotions running hotter than he's ever seen in them before. She's scared. He's never seen her this fearful before.

He looked back at Jon, "Who are you, really? None of this – Jon Smythe crap."

"Please don't, Mal –" Inara began. He put a hand up to stop her and looked at the pale man he was expecting answers from.

"Too bad, really, that I am Jon Smythe. _Doctor_ – Jon Smythe. I've got a perfectly genuine ID card and lengthy 'paper trail' to prove it. I've got three children and one young lady that I'm the acting guardian of. And a spouse named Richard. If I'm guilty of anything it's being too wealthy for my own good, although I do share. I've got a 'distant ancestor' by the name of Doctor John Smith whose funds have been collecting interest for – oh, about four hundred and fifty years or so, give or take a few decades." Mal glowers. "Um, the blood is the wrong color, isn't it? There's a perfectly reasonable explanation."

"Start givin' it."

"Mal—"

"It's all right, _'Ifritah_," the Doctor said. "I'm not fully human. Actually, I'm better than," he gives Mal a disarming grin, that is both goofy and dazzling. Mal does the sensible thing and goes for his gun.

Simeon sees the movement, darts in, and grabs the captain by the arm, "What are you... no! No!"

"Let go, son," Mal says to him.

"No shooting anyone in here."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Wash had been expecting Mal to come to the cockpit demanding answers, so for his wife to come in slightly dragging her feet surprised him. "Hon?" He turned to look at her.

"Mal's givin' that crazy mole the benefit of the doubt, and asking for proof that the Richard we got aboard is not Riddick."

Wash froze. "What?"

"Please say he's not Riddick."

"Um… He's not Riddick," _Anymore_. "He Smythe, been Smythe… for oh, couple a decades at least, I think." _I hope_. He turns away so he can't see the strange look his wife is giving him, and toggles the secure line into the Cortex. "Wasn't Riddick taken into custody by a marshal named Johns?" Zoë nods as he says, "Yes, here's the official arrest record. Should be half way outta the system by now on the _Hunter-Gratzner_, according to the booking data." He feels her settle against the back of his chair.

"What about Jon," she mumbles.

"What—Oh, well. I got his file pulled. Shows were Rich has traveled too. Been around, see." It shows years of travel by private boat through credit receipts with theirs being the last on the list. The family's been crossing from world to moon and back again since the war ended at least.

Zoe looks over the file, "His birth info?" She waits for him to toggle it to the surface and then studies it intently, "Where's Quintessa?"

"Other side of Wild Space. One of the original Elder Colonies. Kind of a private lot, so you'll not find much about his childhood. But he was trained on Helion Prime to be a Doctor. The Elder Colonies have a fairly high mutation rate, Quintessa 'specially. " He looked up at her, "What did Jon do, go invisible? Sprout flames? Float?" He says these impossible things like he expects her to actually choose one of them.

And actually, she half suspects that he did 'go invisible' when he attacked Dobson, because she seems to be the only one with any recall of it. But that's not what she tells her husband, on account of the fact that the skill exhibited by Jon when he knocked Dobson flat is not what has her worried. But the gift of blood he is making does worry her, "He's giving Kaylee a transfusion. His blood is – sort of the color of old rust, with a hint of, I don't know, metallic golden copper or dark brass. And it don't smell like blood."

"Oh. Well. He's an Elemental. They have these strange abilities, some say they're not even human anymore, or that they've evolved. It's nothing to panic over." She blinks at him. "Really. Gees, you'd think he had two heads or somethin'." Wash turns back to the controls.

"You're taking this rather calmly."

"Well, its not like he's announced he's pregnant or anything, Zoë." He ignores her startled movement indicated by the creak of her leather vest at his statement, filing it away for later. "I'm from Scorpio Prime, hon. We dealt with Elementals all the time back home because they were trying to find ways to save the colony from the pollution it was smothering itself under. Just because they don't usually come here to Alliance space doesn't mean you can't run into them on occasion. Besides, Jon is a good person."

"He just barely refrained from killing Dobson with a single blow. Just a bit closer to his nose and the man would have had no chance of getting up, ever. And the look on his face…"

"Protecting his family. Would you honestly have been as giving if it had been one of yours threatened?"

She doesn't hesitate with her answer, "No."

"See, point proved. Give the man a chance, Zoë."

The dark skinned woman nodded, "Have I told you I love you today?"

"Yes, but tell me again anyhow." She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear and he pulled her into his lap. He sure hoped she didn't start asking him personal questions about how he knew Rich. He'd not be able to lie to her, he knew. He didn't personally have memories of Jon so he was safe to talk about unlike the ex-ranger.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Mal was aware that Jayne was behind him watching the situation closely. He took his hand off his weapon. Simeon took his hands off Mal's arm.

The conflicting impulses bothered him. On one hand he wanted to rip the overly cheerful, smug, and very endearing expression off of Jon's face. He could see what Richard must have fallen for, because the man, inhuman or not, had enough charm to be a Companion himself, although he didn't act like one. On the other hand he desperately wanted to believe him, to place his faith in his strange truth and finally trust something other than his own self again. There was something compelling about the pale gent that seemed to _fit_ into the hole in Mal's soul where his faith in God used to reside, and Mal was finding it a struggle to not grant him instant access. The fight made him pissed off. Or just inflamed. Or something…

What it came down to was the outside influence that had only passing weight on the rest of it. His course action hinged on the simple fact that the Smythe boy had a point about shooting folks inside this particular area. It would be senseless and stupid. "How's this transfusion helping her, then, if you're not quite human?"

"Every baby is born with the amazing ability to heal and adapt, but it's lost as one becomes older. My blood will jumpstart that latent process, allowing her body to grow new nerve tissue to replace the damaged area in her spine, much in the same way that embryonic tissue is used at the major medical facilities."

"So she's gonna be able to walk again?" Jayne says from the doorway.

Jon smiled broadly, "Oh, certainly. I doubt she'll even be left with a scar."

"How soon will you know if it works?" Mal looks over at Kaylee who actually looks pretty damn good for someone on death's door. All the monitors are indicating that she's strong and just about as healthy as before she was shot. In fact, he'd say she was stable. The change is stunning from the weak vital signs that she was showing at the end of the operation. He squeezes the mechanic's hand. She feels warm, vital, and very alive. His heart sort of flips in his chest. Maybe she'd be alright after all.

"It's working now, actually. Simeon, another five ticks and I think this can come out."

"Let me know when the situation changes," Mal turns to Jayne who is watching the monitors but not understanding that the numbers and rhythms are good ones, "Where's the Fed?"

The brawny tall man forces his eyes off the moving lights and to Mal's face, "Secure." He glances one more time at Kaylee and then turns to exit the room, "Shepherd's with him. Seems to think he's not safe alone with me. Gonna have a bruise for weeks, looks like. I mean, his face is black-n-blue like someone took a bat to it. And I swear it wasn't me."

Richard looks at Jon who shrugs, "At least I didn't punch him."

"You sure?" the bronze man teases.

Mal looks a Jayne, "Stay here and keep an eye on Kaylee for me. I'll go talk to Book. 'Nara? You might want to think about some sort of alibi to keep your career from going belly up if the Fed managed to get more than a location out."

"Don't worry about me, Mal. I'm sure I'll be able to work something out if that is the case."

He quickly heads out and turns toward the passenger area thinking that he knows exactly where the 'secure' area would be. It doesn't take him long to locate the Fed and the priest. Dobson is still out, trussed up like a Christmas goose with layers of dark silver-gray duct tape. He's lain on his side on the bed, which has been stripped down to the bare pallet. Book is perched on a stool with his bible in his hand. The dark skinned man looks up as Mal enters, "Don't worry, padre. I left Jayne in the infirmary." Book looks slightly relieved at that. The captain turns Dobson's head and whistles; "I don't want Jon to ever have reason to land a blow on me, that's for sure."

"I thought Jayne hit him."

"No. No, this was Jon's doing. He must have smacked 'em just right to not cave in his entire face."

Book gets a thoughtful look on his face, "I wasn't aware Jon was there at all until after I grabbed the gun and noticed that Dobson was falling already."

"I tried to warn him not to threaten the man's family." Book nods, remembering Mal's words. "Look Shepherd, this is gonna be ugly business. He's threatening everyone, including you, just because you're here. If we don't find out what he sent out through the Cortex then we don't dare show ourselves on Boros. Authorities might be waiting to arrest every gorram one of us, just because this tosser told them he cornered a 'Riddick' look alike on my boat. I don't believe for a second that Mr. Smythe is Riddick, but the Feds might think otherwise."

"Captain, killing a Lawman carries quite a high punishment."

"Well, lets just double check that he is a Lawman, and not a guild merc from the other side, all right?" Mal moves back to the door, "Then we'll see. There's gonna be a meeting at half past with all hands, minus Dobson here."

"How is Miss Frye?"

Mal pauses, "Looks like Doctor and Doctor Smythe might have pulled off a miracle. She's still post-op, but her vitals were strong. I won't say she's fine until I see her awake and walking again." Book nods. Mal slides the door shut and heads back to Dobson's bunk.

Behind him Wash and Zoë enter the passenger dorm. Mal slides down the ladder and motions for them to follow him, "Let's get a good look at who Dobson really is, shall we?" The pair follows him into the cluttered bunk. Less that half a day and the man's already made a mess of his rented space. Mal sweeps the clutter to the floor and then picks up a case and opens it. It's filled with guns to do Jayne proud. "Stack this in the hall," Mal says after making sure there's no hidden compartments in it.

Zoe takes it and slides it out into the passageway. "I've got the records pulled and copied you wanted, Mal," says Wash, as he begins sorting through the clothes that are scattered on the floor.

"Good. Keep an eye open for his badge, credentials, orders, what have you." Mal snags the next case and finds more weapons. "Zoë, get Jayne or Richard and look through Dobson's cargo."

"Sir?"

"Richard and Jon are as tied up in this as we are, so offer them an olive branch. Besides, Jon kept his end of the bargain and saved Kaylee."

"Yes sir."

Wash is quiet until he knows that she's gone. Then he looks at Mal who is putting the third case in the hall, "Don't ask me, all right?"

"Can't promise that. You said you knew him. You said he was a good guy. Richard's been less violent than Jon has, in fact. But I need to know who he is, Wash. How many others like Dobson is having this guy on _Serenity_ going to bring down on us?"

The strawberry blonde closes his eyes, "Likely," he bows his head, "quite a few." After a moment of silence, Wash adds, "But he might end up being a asset, and we could use a real trained doctor, Mal. Jon and Rich would stay aboard and keep paying rent for a long as you wanted them here. Hell, they might even pitch in for fuel and supply costs."

"Speaking to my pocketbook won't work. Are you saying that he is who Dobson thinks he is?"

"Not saying, either way. He's got the alibi to be Richard Smythe, but I know a hacker who could have given him that, providing of course he knew how to make contact with him. There's no indication that either Smythe has that sort of connections though."

Mal considered this as he looked at the last case; "The man has more guns on him than Jayne."

Wash as found a folder with sheets of plastic, paper, and other printed material. He's carefully shifting through it. "Noticed that. He's a guild merc out of Lupus Five. Here's his cross-system papers, set to expire in just a few weeks. Um, looks like he was after someone else though. Look at this."

"Doctor Simon Tam out of Osiris? River Tam? What the hell, this better not be what I think it is--" Mal goes storming out of Dobson's bunk clutching the papers. Wash rolls his eyes and follows him.

"Mal – not in our best interests to even bring this in front of those who might just kill us for the bounty," he tries as the captain storms out of the dorm, "Come on Mal—"

He finds the Smythe clan outside the infirmary clustered together in the seating area. Jon's got Saritha tucked under one arm and she's pressed against his side like she's trying to burrow into him. Her twin and the blonde young woman are both touching her, trying to sooth her. The younger boy, Jacob is clinging to Richard, and surprisingly, Inara is kneeling down at Jon's feet with one hand lightly touching he knee. What he can't figure out is why Richard, who has a hand curled tightly around Jon's spare one, isn't snapping at the Companion for being there.

But what brings him up short is the totally unguarded sense desperation coming from the gathering, like they are struggling to preserve something so rare, so fragile, that it might shatter at any moment. He looks down at the sheets in his hands, swallows, and looks back up at them. "We best be having that chat, because Dobson wasn't just after a Riddick look alike. He was after a pair of siblings by the name of Tam, Simon and River. And your twins carry more than a slight passing resemblance." He let the warrants and profiles scatter across the coffee table. "My help depends on getting the truth."


	35. Part ThirtyFive Muster

** A/N:** _This roughly follows "Serenity" Part one (the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM). There's a scene with inspiration drawn from "Rose" as I work around Jackie Tyler getting nosy and dragging Mickey Smith into the strange world of 'net freaks. 'Cause, you know, she'll still need a reason to slap 'em, Hehehe.  
** :-D **  
OtherMeWriter, Thanks. Chat coming up here, sometime in this chapter.  
mirth513, lovely review as always. I wanted to give Wash more depth, and I always felt that he had deep secrets hidden under his humor. Besides, he was the top pilot of his class aside from one person who hacked his way there (if you go by the Serenity novel), so he's a smart cookie. And Jayne… He's not a bad guy, really. Kinda dense sometimes, but with a good heart once a soul earns it. As for the impact of the Transfusion… well, there's a lot of stuff going on with that, and I don't want to give anything away, but I am dropping hints.  
Um… Should I start offering Bananas? Banana Jelly Babies? Do they make those? Um… _

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Thirty-Five

Muster

Less than a day and things look to have gone south. Health wise, he's weakened by this effort to save the human girl. She can't begrudge him that. The parasite is still contained, but he needs to sleep now and regain his lost blood volume. The sensation she is getting from him is one that is slightly dizzy, light headed, and thirsty. She is very tempted to give him a cup of tea, just materialize it in front of him. And perhaps if the situation was slightly different she would. But as it is, she can't risk extending her power to do something like that with him infected as he is.

Emotionally however, he's a mess.

Verity can't do anything to make this better. The time and place for her Time Lord is here. His allies are here, even if one of them doesn't know it yet. Although there's risk for them being here now, there's also reward. Great reward. The promise of new life, new starts, healing, winning, loving… the chance to make it better and to change the twisted path of the future that would give her Doctor far too little time should he go elsewhere. Here, he can touch those around him and improve their lives and no one will question if they all live longer than they should.

If he's to do this, to face his past losses and let her help him with the horrible mental scars inflicted by their uncaring people, then he needs the stability that _Serenity_ can give him. Now to just convince the stubborn man that he can share his need to protect with the entire net of minds that will destroy the parasite, the possible last vestiges of the Time War. This means earning the trust of one Malcolm Reynolds regardless of what either bull headed man wants. It means not letting Thete run from the looming darkness as he has so many other things.

The Doctor is so close to giving in on the pain that she wants to keen with the agony of it. They are almost there, almost to the end of the tunnel. She can't force him to fight but she knows he doesn't want to lose this. It would destroy him to have these people ripped from him now. They all know it. She pushes her mind, her soul, into him. Flooding him with all the time and wonder and love that she has for him. He absorbs it like a dry sponge.

And then he sends back tentative tendrils of memories, pain and joy, comfort and loss, and the sense of a type of wonder that she's only felt once before. She's tempted to ask him to help her have that wonder herself, because she can't do it alone. Only the thought of it being selfish keeps her from asking. Instead she focuses on his feelings, letting them flutter through her, his asking for acceptance that no one has ever even known that he ached for. But this is an old sensation, very old. A secret. Held close for hundreds of years, shared with no one. And gut wrenching agony, a loss so profound that he turned to her at last to sooth it even a little so he could function. But he refuses to explain the feelings, and for now having felt them is going to have to be enough.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Thete's sitting with his 'family' around him, even the fire Elemental has chosen to break with her training and show her loyalties to him. As if the Gallifreyan communication device around her neck isn't clue enough. He's shocked that the disk is no longer red in color, because it means that they are no longer secondary tools, but primary now, working because his TARDIS still exists to tie them together. Another proof of how totally alone he and Verity truly are now. Another proof that someone thought ahead and planned on his -_their_- survival. He knows who he suspects, and he knows the proof of it is entangled within the secrets and paradoxes of his time with the CIA. He has to wonder if ultimately he's not the cause of his own survival, if he hasn't engineered this entire thing. But why? Why deny himself his own memories if that is the case? He'd make himself believe anything to keep his perception of Romana light and bright and hopeful. He'd rather blame himself than blame her. Just thinking about it, just skirting the tangled mass of memory hurts. The ache of it is dull compared to his personal crisis at the moment though.

He's on the verge of losing everything. His hope. His heart. His will to go on…

He's got warm bodies against him, Richard and Jack on one side, River, Rose and Simon on the other, and Inara against his legs. And inside him is Verity, filling his soul with golden light, even as she withholds the actual power that normally flows with it. He squeezes Richard's hand and holds River close and can't find it in him to care that Rose is wrapped around his arm as she holds River's shaking form. He feels Inara shift to raise her head off his knee, replacing it with a light hand. Malcolm is coming back. Simon shifts from the coffee table to the couch on the other side of Rose and reaches around her to hold River's hand.

He can tell that Rose is perfectly comfortable with this, and for a human from 2005 that's fairly impressive. Thete brushes his mind across hers and finds that she's been introduced to the communication method already too when she thinks, _'ello,_ to him in response. He turns his head and winks at her and a second later she puts her cheek against his jumper clad shoulder with a whisper of, _soft_. Her head settles in next to River's like it's meant to fit there.

This is the state they are in when the captain of _Serenity_ surges into the blue tones of the room and comes to a very fast halt. The Doctor looks at him, the half-crumpled sheets in his hand, the rapidly draining anger. Behind him, Wash manages to pull up short and avoid running the man over. Quite frankly he's not listening to the words coming out of Mal's mouth, although he likely should be. His eyes follow the scatter of warrants and profiles reading them as they fall, faster than any human could. Mal plants himself in front of them, his aura skittering against the collective energy of theirs.

Thete knows that Mal wants, very badly, to be included in something he can believe in again. He doesn't like this self-awareness of being shattered. But he's set to resist the desire, because he's been hurt so many times before and no longer wants to risk the pain. The Doctor knows this like he knows himself. Why he'd pushed away lifetimes of happiness that didn't need to be unhappy. Why he struggled against accepting the strong bond with Verity for two full lives. Why he'd eventually gone to her and given her scraps of himself so that she'd ease the pain. Mal had turned to _Serenity _the same way he'd eventually turned to Verity. Only difference was, _Serenity_ couldn't heal the damage to Mal's soul the way Verity could heal his.

So it would be up to him to bring this very damaged human back to the point where he could play his role in the destiny of the 'Verse. Ironic that. Almost as ironic as losing everything again just like he had with Jamie so soon after vowing to do everything possible to prevent it. He wasn't going to let this go without a damn good fight.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

She was at the mall, shopping. Normal thing. Coming down an escalator, bags in her hands. She hears glass breaking.

"Oh, my god!" screams a woman that is suddenly next to her, the scene morphing into the walk along the arcade. More glass is breaking.

The man and boy are looking around too. "It's true. Everything I read, all those stories, it's all true," says the man, gripping her arm. She wants to run, but he's holding her arm. Glass is breaking.

She wants to ask who he is, but there's too much glass breaking to speak over.

"The Doctor, did you say? Working for the Doctor? Don't you see? It's true." Then she sees the cause of the glass breaking, mannequins are walking though the mall, shooting people and somehow going around them, not seeing them.

Wave after wave, mixed types of dummies, marching through the mall destroying everything around them. "I'm Clive," says the man, "And it's true." And she can hear more than just glass breaking, there's the sound of gunshots and bodies falling and screaming…

Then there's a sweeping wave of plasma like energy that courses through the mall – racing toward her and she can't get out of the way. It's like a storm of light flowing like fog. And she's terrified of it.

"Ahh!" Jackie Tyler wakes with a scream. Less than a day after Rose has gone off on her new job and Jackie's wishing she was still there.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Zoë and Jayne had uncovered the truth about Dobson's 'cargo'. He had crates of securing equipment, interrogation devices, various recording items, and data files. Mal was tempted to flush the entire works out the airlock, but Zoë reminded him that they could sell the stuff. He just hoped that it didn't come back on them and end up being used on one of his crew if they did that. Of course, there was the option of using some of these gadgets on Dobson.

The captain had given the Smythe troop some time to collect themselves and meet everyone in the dining room. Now he was waiting at the table, playing with a mug of something that was supposed to pass for coffee but didn't quite manage it. Zoë and Wash were in the kitchen making things clatter lightly, not exactly speaking to each other but somehow managing to not give the impression of being angered over some such spat or another. Jayne was cleaning a knife with the coffee substitute and in general being Jayne. And Mal had to admit that the stuff cleaned off old blood stains better than just about anything else in the 'Verse. He hated to think about what it was doing to his insides.

This was his crew, with the exception of 'Nara, who really wasn't 'crew' as such and Kaylee, who was sleeping post-op. For some reason the dining room felt empty and cold. Mal shivered.

Book entered the room, right on cue, at exactly half past. He looked reserved and thoughtful. Wash said from the kitchen, "Want a coffee or a tea? Well, the coffee's not coffee as such, more like black engine sludge, but it _will_ keep you awake." Zoë managed a snicker.

"Tea is fine," the Shepherd answered. After a moment he added, "Thank you." He pulled out a chair and sat down. "I checked on Miss Frye on the way here and she looked to be doing very well."

"Well, that's somethin' at least," Mal mumbled. He'd have rather her not being shot at all, personally.

Inara was the next one to come in, looking as graceful as ever, if a bit worn around the edges from the emotional stresses of the evening. Silently, she takes the offered tea from Zoë and moves around the table to sit near Book. Mal feels his heart catch in his throat as he finally gets a good look at her. If anything she's more beautiful than he's ever seen her, more real for her slightly faded makeup and less than perfect hair. He has to remember to not stare at her, or he'll drown in the depths of her eyes, the fiery emotions whipping through them that he's never see so strong before. She radiant, like the sun. Her very presence warms the room. He shivers again, but not from the cold. Mal knows he's a doomed man. "They are on their way up," the Companion said. "The warrants seem to have rattled them pretty good. You could have been less accusing about it Mal."

"I didn't accuse at all," he protested. "That anger was – righteous indignation on their behalf. Everyone just has to assume the worse." Something beeped from the cockpit. "I'll get it." Mal got up and went to check the communication.

Zoe risks a peek into Mal's mug, "I'm surprised this stuff hasn't eaten right through the table."

"Mal's got himself a very resistant-to-engine-sludge mug." Wash takes his seat next to her.

Jayne says, "I wouldn't drink the stuff, but it's great for removing blood stains." Several people watch him clean his knife with it for a few moments. "Think it will poison that Fed if I don't rise it off?"

"If he's dead, does it matter?" Zoë says right back at him.

"Suppose not."

It was at this point that Jon came into the room, followed by Jacob, Rose, Saritha, Simeon, and finally Richard. He eyed everyone over. "So is this going to be an 'us against you' situation?"

Mal stepped back into the room, "What? No. I figure we're all in this about as deep as hand inseminatin' a cow anyway, so we best put our resources together and see what we come up with."

"Now, that's repulsive image," Richard says. Mal swings back into his seat and gives the bronze man a dark smile.

"Pull up some chairs and lets get this chat over with so some of us can catch a bit of shut-eye before the morn," Mal tells them. Inara stands and moves back into the kitchen. A few moments later she returns with a tray of mugs all filled with tea. The captain watches her then quips; "Maybe we should just forgo the coffee next time and get tea."

"But I got such a good deal on the coffee, Mal," Wash says, "and Jayne's using it. Maybe Kaylee can clean the engine with it?" He glances at the others, "Right, next time I'll stick to tea."

There's a bit of chair moving and settling in before anyone gets seriously down to business. Richard chooses to sit with Jack. Rose squeezes in next to Saritha who curls up against Jon. The two girls are practically sharing a chair with the ebony headed one in the blonde's lap. Simeon sits down on the other side of Jon in his own chair. Mal looks at them all, entwined with each other by way of hands or arms, much as they had been on the couch outside the infirmary. He takes a deep breath, "Ok, we got ourselves a situation. Dobson's a guild merc, out of Lupus five. Another couple of weeks his papers will expire and he'll just be another petty bounty hunter. But right now he's got Fed backing which makes things a mite complicated." Mal looks at Jon, "As far as I'm concerned, you brought this down on my shoulders--"

"He didn't. Dobson boarded _Serenity_ before I did," Book said. "I got the impression that he was haggling over the prices, in fact."

Wash nods, "Kaylee charged him extra because he flashed his gun at her to get his credits back after changing his mind once. He came back saying that he really needed to get to Boros, so _Serenity_ was his best option. I almost told him we were booked up, but at the time we weren't. I ran into Jon and Rich on my way back to the supply post."

"So he didn't follow you?" Mal looks at the two men. They both indicate no. "He might have been tipped off by Badger, then."

"We can try hacking his Cortex link to see if there are any communication traces left." Zoë suggests.

"Kaylee would be best at that, but she's rather indisposed at the moment. Let's put that down as an option to explore." Mal takes a swing of his drink making several people pull faces. He ignores them. Right now he wants to get the truth out of Jon, as he knows he's not telling the full of it. "You want to explain why there's such a striking resemblance between your twins and the Tams?"

"Luck?" Jon says. Mal fixes him a stare, "Um. No I really don't. But me and mine talked about this, and decided that it benefits us to be honest with you. If money is the object here, I'm willing to pay the bounty listed and then some, over time."

"I'm not after your gorram money. I want the truth."

"I'll take the money," Jayne said. "Standard ten percent cut."

"Be quiet Jayne."

"Mal, he's talking a million and a half credits, combined bounty. That's a hundred and fifty thousand, and I've got family that can use the cash."

"Done. If that is what it takes, Mr. Cobb," Jon said. "Now be silent and listen." Jayne nodded. "Saritha and Simeon _are_ River and Simon Tam." The Doctor held up a hand to keep people silent, "And they are related to me. A standard genetic test will reveal overwhelming proof of it."

"What did you do, son, to get the Feds after you?" Mal said.

"It's a long story."

"I think we have time, so start talking."

Simon looked over at the Doctor and then reached out to grip his hand before starting, "I am extremely intelligent. I went to the best Medacad in Osiris, top three percent of my class, finished my internship in eight months. 'Gifted' is the term. So when I tell you that my little sister makes me look like an idiot child, I want you to understand my full meaning." He paused and looked at them, "I'm not being pretentious here. Or prideful, but you must understand that River is unique. More than gifted. Fantastically brilliant, at absolutely everything she attempts." He looks over at her and notices that she's hiding against the Doctor's side. "Let me explain it this way, we breathe without conscious effort. My sister does everything that way. Music, advanced math, theoretical physics, historical analysis, languages, dance; there is _nothing_ that doesn't come as naturally to her as breathing does to us. She used to correct my advanced textbooks, on every subject, even. I have no doubt that she is as skilled a surgeon as I am." Simon smiles at the memories.

Mal stares at the dark head of the girl that is the subject of the conversation. "Saritha, you alright there?" She shakes her head without lifting it. Mal turns to Simon; "She's been through something bad, hasn't she?" Jayne gets up and heads into the kitchen to get something to drink. Mal glowers at him.

"Well, that's one way to put it." Simon says as he waits for Jayne to sit back down. Then he begins the narrative again, "There was a... a school... a, uh, a government-sponsored academy, we had never even heard of it before but it had the most exciting program, the most challenging. Our parents could have sent her anywhere, we had the money, but she wanted to go there. She wanted to learn. She was fourteen," River's hand snakes out and closes over the top of the joined hands of Jon and Simon. He glances at her, "I got a few letters at first, and then there was no contact for months. Finally I got a letter that made no sense. She – she talked about things that never happened, jokes we never..." The hand squeezes, "it was code. It just said... 'They're hurting us. Get me out.' I had to try."

Zoë, ever practical, asks, "How did you do it?"

"Money. And, and luck. For two years, I couldn't get near her. Then I was contacted by some men, some underground movement. They – they said she was in danger, that – that the government was... playing with her brain. If I funded them they could sneak her out in cryo. Get her to Persephone, and from there, I could take her... wherever. My plan had been to get on the ghost run, and then I ran into Jon. He took us both under his wing. I own him my and River's lives several times over."

Rose is stroking River's back, trying to sooth the trembling. Inara reaches over and gently runs a hand across the knotted bunch of fingers; "Will you be all right, Saritha?"

She responds with a shrug. Jon rocks her lightly, "When Simon mentioned 'playing' with her brain, I don't think he conveyed the total extent of what was done to her. What we know is that she's lost her ability to filer out errant perceptions on her own. She was operated on, subjected to chemicals and radiation, brainwashing attempts, and likely even more. With the right help and time there's hope for her, but if the government gets its hands on her again --"

"Please. I don't know why this was done to my sister, only that I – I have to keep her safe."

There's a long silence, "And of course, you still want to know about me." Jon finally says, meeting Mal's gaze. "I'm not sure how much you are willing to believe, even as I tell you the truth. You have heard of the 'Wailing Wars'?"

"I'm vaguely familiar with it."

"The conflict involved a number of colonies on the other side of wild space, and contact with two alien species. Two Elder Settlements were destroyed in the aftermath of the war, Alysum and Furya, along with both of the alien species. For the most part."

Mal looked at Wash, "I just fought in it, don't look to me to give you the inner workings of the politics involved, Mal. Yes, Alysum and Furya are both dead worlds now; one has been for a hundred years at least. Although there's rumors that survivors of Alysum are still out there, hunting the last of the Furyans down. Units from Scorpio generally worked under Elementals, so I don't know about the alien angle."

"For the most part, Doctor Smythe?" said Zoë.

"Yes. For the most part. As I told Mal, I'm not completely human. My sire was one of these alien species, a Gallifreyan. Although the complete situation doesn't really pertain to this I will tell you that I was raised among his people, taught his ways, lived a sanctioned life-style before the War. Like many others when the situation became apparent for what it was I joined in the battle against Gallifrey's enemy, another alien species whose name I won't mention because they should have been totally eradicated."

"And you two alien species couldn't have kept Humankind out of your little war?"

"Mal!" Inara stood up. "You have no idea what was at stake."

"'_Ifritah,_" says Jon, "Sit back down." She looked over at him before slowly sitting down. They lapsed into silence again.

"All right, what was at stake, Inara. Since you seem to know."

She looked at him; "You wouldn't believe me."

"Sure I would, 'Nara." Mal meets her eyes and holds them.

She flushes, "The 'Verse itself, Time, and Space, and free will. Mal, the Wailing Wars were fought across dimensions that most humans don't even realize are there." She takes off the golden disk and holds it by the chain. Taking a deep breath she says, "Touch it, Malcolm Reynolds, if you dare."

Mal stares at the golden metal with its not-quite-normal, not-human, engravings and sheen. He realizes that he's never seen anything like it before, and should some fancy bloke take a hankering to it that the bit of alien metal would be worth a fortune. He carefully places a finger on it the edge of it.

The ship twists and reforms around him. He can see the numbers and equations that make everything work, the lines of energy, pulses of on and off. He can see the space between. And beyond that is an aureate-verdant shimmer. When he looks around at the others he can see they are robed in color, elements, he knows. And the background shimmer is time and it flows through Jon. He jerks his finger away and blinks at Inara, still seeing the flames of her aura. "Well, that's different."

"It's the truth."

They go quiet, the others wondering what Inara showed Mal but not overly sure that they wanted to know by the expression on Mal's face. Book finally breaks the impasse, "That's... quite a story."

"Yeah, it's a tale of woe. Very stirring. In consequence of which we got a kidnapped pseudo-federal officer on board, we got the Alliance hard on our trail, and we're down a mechanic. Is there more you should tell us, Jon?"

"You mean, like my being a time traveler, or that my ship is in your cargo bay on idle, or that Rose here is from 2005? No, not really." Mal gives the pale man a hard look, trying to discern if he's joking or serious. He can't tell. And _that_ bothers him.


	36. Part ThirtySix Mole

**A/N: **_ This roughly follows "Serenity" Part one (the initial pilot episode for the TV show, not the BDM).  
__**:-D** Jelly Babies? I've got Jelly Babies for reviewers… Jelly Babies! Whooot. If you've read this far and not reviewed, well that's ok. I hope you enjoyed the ride. This ends on a cliffy, and you're just going to have to wait for the next STORY to find out what happened. Review and I might start the next one sooner (As soon as tomorrow even). Don't review and you might have to wait a week. If you've been reviewing (and you know who you are because I've been thanking you every chapter by name) I just want to tell you that this has been a blast and the Doctor is still there harping away. I'm going to try to get a chapter out of my other stories now. Maybe. Or not. Well, we'll see...  
Delphine Pryde, nice to get some kind words, I thank you. Hope you stick around for Act Three.  
OtherMeWriter, Yeah, ending the last chapter with the Doctor tossing out off-handed truths kind of fits with his character. Ol' Nine doesn't beat around the bush much. As for the Box – yes, the last elements of it are right there, but Mal's gonna be a tough one to convince. Maybe Inara will end up being the one to drag him into it? Or maybe Thete will discover that having someone who is as shattered as he is helps him open up a bit. See, Inara views the Doctor as the Red Guardian. He's as close of a thing as her people come to a God, but not because he's a Time Lord. And Mal… he needs something to put his faith in, and he just happens to choose Justice.  
**This is the Last Chapter of ****Ties that Bind**. Stay tuned to this channel for the next Mutant Plot Bunny, Doctor Who and the Tangled Web, in which our Doctor actively falls in with petty criminals.  
Oh, right, he already has…_

Summary: The Doctor, reeling from the effects of the TimeWar as the last surviving TimeLord, stumbled into a situation he could not ignore when the TARDIS landed him inside a ship that was clearly in trouble. After the rescue, he's left with eight survivors that he must somehow get to safety. But the situation is not as cut and dry as he might like. His people may be gone, but the stamp he's made on the universe is still there, and he finds himself caught in a web spun of the choices he's made in his past…

Something in history has prompted humanity to explode out from their home world. Could the events of 2164 be responsible? Was Earth a myth or was it real? In fleeing Earth-that-Was, humanity scattered to the stars across the galactic arm. Initial survey teams targeted likely planets and systems for habitation and not all of them ended up on the same side of the sector. Blue Sun exists on one side, separated by a patch of 'wild space' filled with exotic binary and triple star systems, from the rest of civilized space. Few ships brave the route. But luck had it that one ship did. Risking a ghost run, the only contact that the two sides have, the _Hunter-Gratzner_ crashed midway through the journey. Original Port of Departure: Eavesdown Docks, Persephone. Mixed Sino-Anglo culture. Original Port of Call: Tangiers-5. Darkside. Mixed Islamic-Anglo culture. Crew complement: Four. Passengers: Forty. Living 'Cargo': Two. Survivors: Eight plus One

So what happens in 2517 to Dr. Simon Tam, his brilliant but damaged sister, a convicted murder by the name of Richard B. Riddick, and Jack B. Badd now that they are on their way home? They end up slightly out of their own Time, on a ship filled with living sculptures and then a 'quiet' trip to 2005 London brings them face to face with living sculptures of another kind… And just how is this related to the TimeWar?

A Doctor Who / Firefly / Riddick crossover.

_Features Doctor 9, companion Rose Tyler; The cast of Firefly; 'Jack B. Badd' and Richard B. Riddick…_

**Doctor Who and the Ties that Bind**.

Part Thirty-Six

Mole

Malcolm Reynolds had rarely dealt with an individual so hard to read as he was dealing with now. At least not without them being a trained Companion. Somehow he didn't think that Dr. Jon Smythe, or whatever his real name turned out to be, was a trained Companion though. No, rather, the captain of _Serenity_ suspected it was the 'alien' in the fellow peeking through the human veneer the gent wore. "You serious about any of that?"

"Perfectly," Jon tosses him an annoyingly charming, -no, downright knee-buckling, heart-melting, innocently dazzling- grin. Mal actually has to fight a responding smile of his own. He is less than successful. "Oi, don't look so pained about it, captain. I know what you've just seen, and you might be thinking that it can't be real, but I assure you, it is. Matter and Energy are just two states of the same thing, after all."

This he had to concede. He nodded. Maybe after some sleep he could come back and tackle this issue with a clearer head and a longer fuse on his temper. "So our collective problem is Dobson."

Zoë raised an eyebrow at that exchange and looked over at Inara who had slipped the disk back around her neck. She knows the Companion wears the charm often aboard _Serenity_. And while she'd been curious about the strange symbols and design of the thing the first time she'd seen it, 'Nara had been with them for months now and she'd become used to seeing it around her neck, resting against her chest. The other woman raises her eyes and notices the gaze. Zoë smiles at her, reassuring that she's fine with this, and Inara smiles back gratefully. "How much does the Alliance know?" she asks as she turns to her husband.

He's fiddling with his tea, "I can't say." There's a shift across the group like a wave of alarm. He hurriedly adds, "I killed the message pretty quick, so they might just have had our position."

"Or they might have personal profiles on each and every one of us," Mal counters. " 'Til that fed wakes up, we won't know."

"So what do we do?" asks Jayne, "Somebody on this boat shot Kaylee, and I'm scratching my head as to why we ain't dealt with him."

" 'Dealt' as in 'Kill', Jayne? Can you think of a stupider thing to do?" Zoë says by way of trying to make the dense man see some reason.

"He can ID us all," he counters, looking Zoë in the eye.

"Killing a Merc on this side of wild space won't get you into much trouble," Richard says, "As long as the body is found after the papers expire."

"Can we maybe vote on the whole murdering people issue?" Wash asks.

Jon raises an eyebrow at the pilot, "Frankly, Dobson is lucky he's alive now."

Mal finishes his coffee, gets up and refills it, ignoring the looks of disbelief that he's drinking the stuff, "We don't vote on my ship because my ship is not the rutting town hall."

"Surely there are ways to solve this without taking his life," Inara offers.

The Doctor says, "What? Like – raping his brain, shattering his soul, or using drugs to turn him into a vegetable so that he can't ID anyone? Be very careful what you ask for, child." She gives him a disturbed look and glances away.

"Right no votes. Got that, Sir." Wash says, turning to look at Mal, "But -- come on, we're gonna talk this through, yeah?"

"I'll not sit by while there's killing here," Book says.

Jayne grins at the man; "Shepherd's got a mean streak. We'd best walk soft."

Mal pinches the bridge of his nose, "_Nimen de bizui_!" The group falls silent. He shakes his head at them, "Way it is, is the way it is. We got to deal with what's in front of us." He paces as he thinks. The Smythe troop has been honest with him. Maybe it's time to be honest with them as well. He's not talked this over with Zoë, Wash, or Jayne, and he imagines that of the three only Zoë will pitch a fit. Then he looks at Inara. She's got a hand on Jacob's back and the boy is asleep in Richard's arms. Mal makes his decision. "The job. We finish the job. I got word from Patience; she's waiting for us. We circle 'round to Whitefall, make the deal, get out. Keep flying."

"Not 'medical supplies' then," says the bronze man.

Mal's pacing again, "No." He takes a swig of the brew in his cup and wonders if he has any taste buds left at all to not find the black swill offensive.

"Sir--" Zoë starts.

He fixes her with a 'sergeant' expression; "They've been honest with us. Maybe they'll be wanting to get off on Whitefall and catch another boat after they hear the truth, Zoë." He looks at Book, "Shepherd, you might want to leave so you can claim innocence in these matters, should things come to that."

"I think – I'd prefer to stay."

"Your decision, padre."

"Hey, are you thinking about letting them in on the cut, Mal?" Jayne suddenly sits up and glares at the captain.

"Settle down Jayne. Does 'Nara get a cut? No. She pays to stay. They'll pay to stay. I might lessen their rent if they assist, but I doubt they need the credits, with Jon offering to pay a mil and a half to match the bounty sum." He looks over at Wash, "You suggested that we needed us a medic. I wanted a proper cook. We got the space; they need to keep on the move. Perfect fit."

Simon looks at Mal with a calculating look on his face, "What job is this, exactly? Is it gold? Drugs? Pirate treasure?"

"Whatever we can scrounge up, son. Some of it is a mite shady. Anything that needs doin' we'll do. Whatever it takes to survive and stay in the air," Mal says.

"So having River and I here isn't going to make things any more 'interesting' for you then? I mean, the Alliance catches us on your ship, you'll lose it."

Mal raises an eyebrow, "Already trading in government goods, Dr. Smythe. Hauling you and your sister won't change that. So Jon, the offer stands. You can stay and pitch in where we need help, or you and yours can get off at Whitefall."

John pulls out a bag of platinum, "How about I answer with this." He lets the money spill across the table. "We'd like to stay."

As much as Mal had protested about not wanting the man's money, he really can't say that he's that resistant to taking it. "Wash, while we're in the world, fuel her up, stock our supplies, and try to find the parts on Kaylee's list. Anything left over, split with Jayne and Kaylee. As a bonus. And don't you worry about the Fed, by the time we reach Boros his papers will be expired, we can dump him there, hog tied and weaponless for the Feds to find, hopefully with little to tell, even if I have to cut his tongue out to make it so."

"Yes, Sir."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

They've headed back to their rooms, Book having watched Mal place a lock on Dobson's door to keep Jayne out until the morning. Rose decides that River shouldn't be alone and pulls her blankets and pillow and heads into River's room with her. Simon comes in and sits with them until his sister falls asleep, "Thank you, _Mei-Gui_."

"It's not a problem, Simon. I didn't know what had happened, but I would've done this with her being upset even if nothing had." Rose kisses his cheek, "You should go check on your patient." He holds Rose's hand for a moment before getting up and turning off the light. He closes the door as he leaves. The blonde holds River tighter; "It's alright, Saritha. Verity and I have you. Everything's gonna work out." River burrows into Rose's side with a whimper. "Shush," she rocks the ebony haired teen until they both slip into a troubled doze.

Simon headed back to the infirmary. The Doctor was in there running his fingers over Kaylee's cheek. "Dad. Sleep. Now." Shortly thereafter Rich appears in the doorway to help him get the overtaxed Time Lord into his room. The Tam scion sighs after he knows Rich will put Jon to bed and keep him there.

"Still calling him 'dad'?" Mal asks from the seating area as Simon walks back into the blue room. He's been thinking about all the things he's been told, all he's seen. He reflects on the fact that Kaylee liked Jon, that Wash stood up for the man, that, frankly, he admired Jon on first impression. And he was hard to impress that way. Although he was sure that there was way more to learn about the man -alien?- fellow, than he'd revealed, Mal felt pretty confident about keeping him aboard _Serenity_.

"Yes. It's hard for me to picture him as what he really is, actually."

"Which would be what, exactly?"

Simon looks at him. "Sure you want to know?" Mal nods, "He is my and River's Great Grandfather, with eleven additional 'greats' tacked on."

"That would make him hundreds of years old. Two to five depending on the tightness of your family's generations, wouldn't it?"

"He's tossed around anything from nine to thirteen hundred, actually. Depending on his mood at the time. There's some biological tricks involved, of course, that are not human at all, but then he's not entirely human is he?"

"And neither are you and your sister, for all that goes. I can't help but to wonder if she wasn't targeted for the treatment she suffered because of that."

Simon got a thoughtful look, "I think Jon's afraid that she was chosen for exactly that reason."

_Gorram Feds_, Mal thinks, _not getting away with trampling on these kids_. The thought of what was done to River chills his blood. Then he thinks about the youngest, little honey haired Jacob, and that scares him. "What would they do to Jacob, as I assume he _is_ Jon's boy."

"I don't even want to dwell on it."

No wonder Jon offered the money right off the bat. It's the only thing that would keep Jayne in line. With his loyalty bought it acquires his children, -grandchildren? Descendants?- a measure of protection. Mal's determined to give them that, no matter what. They certainly fit his 'yearns to be free' qualification. "Listen, Simon. You get some sleep; I'll sit up and watch over Kaylee. She's looking like she had a bite of the flu now, not a bullet to the belly anyhow. By the time we leave Whitefall we might be needing your services so you being well rested would be a good thing." The boy nods, checks on her himself and heads back to his bunk.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Thete sleeps that night. He knows he needs to even though he doesn't want to. But he can't resist the soft murmur of Verity or the steady strong beat of Amadak's heart against his back so he drifts off into slumber with a vague feeling that something is going on he's not sure he wants to face yet.

Richard holds him for a long time, awake and listening to his extremely slow breathing. Jon's efficient lungs means he needs to breathe much slower that humans do anyhow, but him sleeping makes it slow even farther. The ex-ranger curls a hand over one of the Time Lord's wrists and focuses on the fluttering heartsbeat, and once he can feel it not just through the pulse point but Thete's entire form, Amadak slowly drifts to sleep as well.

Verity avoids the knots in Thete's mind, wanting him to rest. She shunts away his dreams of flight, nightmares of fire, and yearnings for an orange sky seen through silver leaves. But she can't stop his memories from surfacing, and when she sees that they are of Jamie she knows that Thete is loosening those knots as best he can.

He dreams. He dreams of reddish brown wavy hair and eyes that flash sometimes blue like the sky and other times with just a hint of green. He dreams of heather and clover, wool and rough hands that are shaped by years of pipe playing. He dreams of devotion and faith, honest trust that could be broken by nothing.

He dreams of their forbidden stolen moments, starting from the sudden realization that this primitive but brilliant human lad is beautiful when he wakes up from being knocked unconscious to the first time that those rough warm hands circled around his arms and pulled him back into the young man's form. From their first kiss to their last goodbye. A rapid succession of sensations stolen out of sight of the others, that neither of them ever mentioned later. But he knew that they had something unique, valuable, rare… because of the bond that sang between them even when they weren't together. A bond that just – happened – no cause, no thought, no reason. It sprang into being and they both accepted it like it had always been there.

He dreams of his plain cell, and his plain robes. Everything lacks any sense of color, any comfort at all. He's waiting to be told that his life is forfeit, that they are going to make him regenerate even though right now it will kill him for good. There were no windows, barely any indication of a door, no way to tell how much time was passing but for the changes quickening in him and his terror at being unable to stop any of it. He remembers the agony of knowing that he'd never have what was taken from him again, not just the psychic but the physical. He prayed to any higher power that might listen for some hope that he'd be shown mercy.

He dreams of long blond hair, a heart shaped face, compassionate deep eyes, and being told that she was sorry for this, so very sorry. It had to be this way, and someday he would understand. And maybe he'd even forgive her for it. He has the sensation of being in great pain; curled around himself, around – He forces himself to look at the distorted shape of his body, to imprint this, as close as he will ever get to Jamie again, as deep into his memories as he can. He must not forget it. It has been so long since he's seen his Jamie already and this one thing is the only reason he's forced himself to survive this long. He can't let them take this away. Why? Why are they doing this? Is what he's done really so horrible? Shouldn't it be something to rejoice over? _Oh, Rassilon, how I curse thee. This is mine, how dare you steal it away_…

He wakes in the same fetal position, arms curled tight around his knees, silent tears coursing across his face. Richard was propped up on one arm looking down at him with his silvered eyes in the darkness, worry etched across his expression. Thete lets himself sob a single smothered pained sound. He'd forgotten, all this time and he'd believed them when they pointed out his pieced together memories that eradicated the entire span of time from him. He'd never questioned their glib lies about what happened. He feels that extra year now, like it just happened. And he wonders how much more was taken from him.

That was _not_ a dream. He has to fight himself to keep from pushing Amadak away as the bronze man scoops him up and pulls him tight into an embrace.

His mind plays over the scenes again; fitting in senses, smell, taste, hearing, and more, that hadn't been there before, including the awareness that this woman _knew_ him although he didn't know her at the time. What had Romana done? How and why did she do it? What impact did her actions have on the War? He can't even contact her to find out anymore because she's gone, like she never was, except for that faint signature that hovers around Jack. He slowly wraps his arms around Richard, seeking as much heat and comfort from him as he can get, trying to wash away the lingering traces of those just-revealed memories. Now he wishes he'd killed Paris himself.

There are no words, although the ex-ranger wants to know what has happened to make the Time Lord react this way. Instead he offers the silent support that is needed right now and waits for when Thete is ready to talk on his own.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Mal woke on the couch outside the infirmary with Jayne and Book both looking at him. "I could hear Dobson moving around, so I'm guessing he's woken up," says Jayne.

"I believe that it is best you handle him soon, Captain Reynolds. I'll take you on your word that you won't kill him," Book adds.

He tries not to groan as he gets up. Sleeping on a sofa really reminds him of his true age. "All right. Lets get this done then, so I can get some breakfast." Mal leads Jayne back toward Dobson's cell and removes the lock. Then they enter the room. The merc has gotten himself sitting up, although his position is less than comfortable because of how Jayne taped his arms and legs together. Mal reaches over and yanks the duct tape off the man's stubble covered, bruised face. The Fed grunts in pain. "I'm in a tricky position, I guess you know." Mal says to get the man's attention, "Got me a boatload of terribly strange folk making my life a little more interesting than I generally like, chief among them an Alliance mole."

"That would be you, by the way," says the brawny man standing behind Mal.

Dobson's eyes flick to Jayne then back to Mal, "Likes to shoot at _children_ when he's nervous. Now I got to know how close the Alliance is, exactly how much you told them before Wash scrambled your call. So... I've given Jayne here the job of finding out."

Jayne pulls out a big-ass knife. Playing with it he says, "He was non-specific as to how."

Mal turns to Jayne and whispers, "Now you only gotta scare him."

This makes the large, tall man flash a psychotic grin; "Pain is scary..."

"Just do it right," Mal says before he exits, leaving Jayne with Dobson.

The merc asks, "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?"

Jayne stares at him, then moves over to Book's stool and sits down, "Gee, I never been in trouble with the law before..."

"Not like this you haven't. Harboring a wanted serial killer. Smuggling. Kidnapping. Assault."

"You're outta your mind, you know that. Richard Smythe has a paper trail going back six years. Ain't no way he's the serial killer you accuse him of being," Jayne leans forward, "And besides, our pilot fought in the Wailing Wars with Smythe and can place his whereabouts for a good portion of the decades before that. Your fingerprint was disproved by genetic evidence. We already ran the check using your stuff."

Dobson looks at the floor, then tries another angle, "What about the so-called 'twins', huh. Simeon? Saritha? Please. I'll tell you their real names. Simon and River--"

"Tam? Yeah I was told. Found your files, under the mess in your bunk. Sister's cute, too, but I don't think she's all there, y'know?" Jayne makes circular motion with the knife over one side of his head before giving the man a very dark, lecherous, smirk, " 'Course, not all of her has to be..."

"The Tam girl is a precious commodity. They'll come after her. Long after you bury me they'll be coming."

"Oh, I'm not gonna kill you, Dobson – what's your first name?"

Reluctantly the merc answers, "Laurence."

Jayne's getting the impression that the man is in Alliance space because he can't cut the thuggish competition over in his own turf, "Laurence." He nods, "No, I'm just gonna cut on ya' 'til you tell me how much they know."

At this the merc spills, but not in the way he thinks he's spilling, "They know everything. They know every name, every record -- they know how many nose hairs you've got." Every word of it is a lie. The man was cut off right after transmission started.

Jayne leaned back and stomped his foot, "Ah, see -- they don't know a damn thing." He looks honestly frustrated, "It's all over your face," he waves the knife around, "I ain't even... Was gonna get me a ear, too." He looks at the merc, "Aren't you an officer of the law?" Dobson just sits there in shock, trying to figure out how this crude, crass man was able to read him. "Well, don't they teach you how to withstand interrogation? Can't even tell a damn lie."

After a moment he says, "Okay. I can see you're not an idiot."

Rolling his eyes, Jayne replied, "Wish I could say the same, Laurence, but... this is disappointing as hell."

"Let me speak the language you will understand. Money." Dobson tries another tactic, "This girl is worth a lot of money. I mean a lot. You kill me, there's nothing. But if you help me out, you'll have enough to buy your own ship. A better one than this piece of crap."

Well, his thing about money might have swayed Jayne before Jon handed him the ten percent cut that morning and told him that he'd pay on every bounty increase brought to his attention too. Even more so is the fact that he knows Mal is keeping the Smythe family on as crew, but he wants a reason to shoot the man now, because he's insulted _Serenity_ and Kaylee by extension. "Does helping you out mean turning on the Captain?"

"Yes, it does."

Jayne plays thoughtful for a moment, "I'll get back to you."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The proximity alarm went off and everyone heard it. Mal darts into the bridge, thinking that the Feds have caught up to them. When he gets there he sees the pilot, half-asleep still but focused on a screen with a very tense and anxious air. "How the Hell did they find us? I thought you said we could get around 'em."

"It's not Alliance."

Something in his tone chills Mal to the bone, "You're sure?"

"It's a smaller vessel."

Wash's snappish answers rub off, "Commercial?" Mal's feeling like he's got lead or ice or both settling in his gut.

"Uh, yeah," Wash says, "I read it as an older model Trans-U."

That leaden chill deepens further, "I didn't think Trans-U still operated."

Wash hits him with the single fact that threatens to knock him over with just a feather's touch, "They --don't."

Mal glances at the license listing and notices that there's not a single Trans-U still flying under Alliance banner, even private. He swallows, "Get me a visual."

"They're still too far out to--"

"Get me something!" Panic sets in and Mal grips the back of Wash's chair.

The pilot scrambles to follow the order, "I'm picking up a lot of radiation... they're operating without core containment." He says the first part matter-of-factly then pauses, "Well, that's -- _kwong-juh duh_ -- that's suicide..." He glances over his shoulder at the panicked expression on Mal's face, understanding what this is even before Mal says a word.

Then Mal does, and Wash wishes he hadn't, "Reavers."

The visual image finally comes up as the ship reaches range of the scanners. It confirms the analysis. It's a nightmare ship, bristling with jagged edges, weapons, ripped holes in the hull, radiation leaking out the back, splashed with areas that are burnt looking or covered with salvaged metal that is blood-red. Mal stares at the screen, barely daring to breathe as if the monsters out there can sense them if he does it too deeply. "Oh god." Wash mumbles. Then he goes quiet for just a second too long, like he's choking, before finally saying, "Oh god, oh god, _oh god_..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Far away, on Boros, two men wearing blue gloves are noticing that their contact is -- off course. Without a word they set off to intercept in their own ship.


End file.
